Can you comfortably sit with discomfort?
For many of us, when we feel discomfort, we seek something to take us out of it. We turn toward substances or distractions that help us check out. Or we turn toward our spiritual practices or the peace of the outdoors in an attempt to shift our focus and center ourselves.
Of course, the healthier ways we navigate discomfort can be beneficial. And yet, there is something to be said for simply allowing ourselves to sit with what we feel and recognizing that it is okay to feel it.
This doesn't mean we can't turn toward gratitude or spend time in nature to uplift our thoughts. It means we don't have to be so quick to divide our feelings into good and bad, or view anything other than happiness as wrong or unwelcome.
Sometimes, it isn't the discomfort itself that creates the greatest struggle, but our resistance to allowing ourselves to feel it. We experience something uncomfortable, and then add another layer by believing we shouldn't be feeling it at all. We try to change it, push it away, or make it mean something about us.
What if, instead, we allowed ourselves to become curious about what is happening within us, without immediately needing to change it?
This takes courage and willingness. The things we find uncomfortable can often be doorways to something deeper: an honest recognition of something we haven't allowed ourselves to acknowledge, or an aha moment that brings greater understanding of how our inner world operates.
In chasing the highs, bypassing the lows, and denying ourselves permission to feel, we may miss the depth and full spectrum of this profound human experience.
And so, my friends, this is simply an invitation. The next time you feel discomfort, confusion, or any other sensation you would rather not feel, notice where you go within yourself.
Notice what you reach for, including the tools you so quickly grab in an attempt to rise above what you are experiencing.
Instead, perhaps allow yourself a moment to simply be with it. Let it be okay to feel what you feel. Maybe you can even sit down with it and listen to what it has to say- without necessarily believing it right away.
It may become a doorway or an unexpected guide. And it's okay if it doesn't. There is no need to find a lesson in every uncomfortable moment.
Sometimes, the practice is simply to stay present with what is here, without needing it to be different. To allow ourselves to feel without making the feeling wrong. And in doing so, we may find that discomfort doesn't have to hold the same power over us that it once did.
It’s all part of learning the art of sitting with discomfort.
♥️ Alix
🎨: Pink Lotus Flowers by Ana Dao