Beyond Quick Fixes: The Key to Genuine Relief from Discomfort
We all know that moment when something shifts… Suddenly, we’re inundated with thoughts, feel a knot in our stomach, start scrolling for a little longer, keep ourselves EXTRA busy, or find ourselves “checking out” a little more often.
This is what we call discomfort. It’s generally not a thing people enjoy (unless you’ve got a masochistic side) and something we as humans try to avoid like the plague. Why? Because facing up to discomfort (accepting reality as it actually is) often means acknowledging something in our life just ain’t right.
But the more we try to push discomfort down with distraction techniques like our phone or working a couple extra hours every night, the heavier and louder it will get. It’s kind of like a 2 year old trying to get your attention, if you don’t feel it lightly tug at your sleeve you bet it’s gonna start YELLING the longer you ignore it.
Accepting discomfort is about being honest with yourself about what is present - what is true for you in this moment. When we can accept our reality (even when it’s uncomfortable as hell) we give ourselves a chance to move forward. As long as we avoid and distract ourselves from uncomfortable truths, we are stuck in limbo. This limbo might feel good initially, because it allows for any hard truths to stay hidden, but it ultimately ends up hurting us more in the end. The discomfort never goes away, it just silently simmers under the surface until it has nowhere to go and shows up as restlessness, irritability, stress, or procrastination.
While it’s against our nature, it’s important to note that DISCOMFORT IS NOT THE ENEMY. It’s just information. Discomfort can be a sign that something matters to us. It might be pointing to a boundary that’s been crossed, a value that’s out of alignment, or a need that hasn’t been met.
It’s not there to punish us—it’s there to guide us.
So What If We Got Curious Instead? What if the next time you noticed discomfort creeping in, you leaned in &…
asked yourself what this discomfort might be pointing to
considered whether there is a need being highlighted
acknowledged something important that was being overlooked
None of this means you have to sit in discomfort forever. But by meeting it with awareness and acceptance instead of resistance, you give yourself the opportunity to actually move through it, instead of carrying it with you.
Because real relief? It doesn’t come from numbing, avoiding, or distracting ourselves from discomfort. It comes from accepting it. From listening. From tending to it. From giving yourself permission to feel, so you can figure out what you need.
