Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable
Being uncomfortable in your body is...well, uncomfortable. As humans we want to live in an area of comfort. However, sometimes being uncomfortable with discomfort can make things feel MORE uncomfortable. What do I mean? Well, sometimes people feel uncomfortable because their actions directly contradict or compete with their core values and goals. This discomfort results in us trying to escape and avoid -- through food, alcohol, overpacked schedules, etc (insert any number of bad habits and behaviors). Then, that feeling never leaves because it’s never dealt with and processed. We often try to fix our external surroundings, things on the outside, things we can control, in order to alleviate discomfort on the inside.
When it comes to discomfort in your body, we often think of this as a physical feeling. However, comfort in your skin is actually a state of mind. One will truly be comfortable in their skin once they accept themselves...completely.
I am all too familiar with feeling uncomfortable in my skin. After I gained 50 lbs, I HATED photos. I didn’t know who that person was staring back at me. My poor friends and husband were always met with a loud groan when they wanted to take a photo, followed by 20 “i don’t like it, take another.” (Side Note: To all my loved ones - thank you for your kindness, accommodation, and patience).
When I lost the weight, photos were no longer terrifying. I requested photos be taken. I wanted moments captured. (My husband didn’t know who I was and what happened to his wife). I wish I had a better, more motivational, less body-oriented story about loving pictures again. But that’s my truth...it WAS because I lost weight.
But, I am now pregnant with daughter #2, gaining weight and learning to love this new body of mine all over again. On a rare weekend away with my husband, I asked him to take a full body photo of me, bump and all. When I saw the photo, that girl from a few years ago popped into my head, instantly hating the photo because I don’t look like a model pregnant woman. But then I took a deep breath and changed my tone. I had a little talk with myself, deciding self-compassion and love was what was appropriate in this moment. That was one step toward feeling comfortable in discomfort. The next is sharing that photo with the public (you!). That’s a big one for me. But, I’m not sharing the photo to overcome a fear, I’m sharing it because I am so proud to FEEL proud to share that this is what my body looks like -- proud of being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
My example is one of thousands. It doesn’t have to be weight related or even physical. It could be learning to feel comfortable in silence, learning to create a new habit (that’s surprisingly uncomfortable and one I’m working on with multiple clients), learning to have trust in your decisions...the list goes on and on. The only way to help ease that discomfort is to take that first step toward processing it. Your discomfort can be temporary. Let’s seek comfort in the uncomfortable.
Take the first step and schedule a discovery call with Lauren! Click Here
