Train your brain to be uncomfortable
We are creatures of comfort and seek the cosy things. Our modern lifestyle encourages ease and the path of least resistance. Everyone has their own particular comforts, whether that’s the blanket whilst on the couch, the hot drink in a favourite mug, the shoes that slip on so easily, ordering a take away or the candles around the hot bath. In our culture of convenience, we can avoid being uncomfortable for much of the time. This means that we can miss opportunities to challenge our mind and body to grow stronger and more resilient.
A great example of how staying comfortable can hold us back comes from my experience of running. I try and go for a short run a couple of times a week in the morning. I am a sissy and developed two rules that dictated whether or not I run: 1. I never ran in the dark (as I was scared) and 2. I never ever ran in the rain (as I hated getting wet). Living in England means that it is dark in the morning for a good 4 months of the year and the chances of it raining are pretty high maybe as much as 30% of the time over the course of a year. These two self imposed rules I developed around keeping myself comfortable began to limit when I could run. I could either put myself into uncomfortable situations or stay stuck.
Last year I bought a head torch and one cold January morning, I went out in the pitch black dark, sticking to the main roads – but it was ok! No monsters or kidnappers were waiting in the shadows to grab me. This week I ran in the rain, not just a little shower but pelting, hard drops that hurt your face when they land, type of rain. I didn’t find it the most enjoyable, especially when I came across a particularly swampy part and ended up getting my trainers covered in mud, but it was worth it afterwards as it meant I got my run in rather than feel rubbish the whole of the rest of the day that it didn’t happen. Making myself uncomfortable actually made me stronger.
We need to expose ourselves to discomfort and be okay with struggling a bit. That feeling you get of accomplishment after struggling with something hard is so gratifying. The confidence you get after realising you can do something that you initially resisted is an amazing natural boost. When you push yourself to do hard things and conquer a stressful, difficult or challenging situation it adds to resilience and you can draw on this next time something hard crops up.
Window of tolerance is a term used to describe the zone of arousal in which a person is able to function most effectively. When a person has a decent size window of tolerance, their brain is functioning well and they can do hard things without feeling too overwhelmed or withdrawn. However, during times of extreme stress people can either experience hyperarousal or hypoarousal. Hyperarousal is often characterised by feeling anxious panicky and having racing thoughts. Hypoarousal is a freeze response, characterised by low mood, emotional numbness, emptiness or paralysis.
As we age we can take less risks and keep ourselves within our comfort zones which in turn will narrow our window of tolerance, meaning we could tip into either hyper or hypo arousal quicker if faced with a challenge such as having to do a presentation at work or a new activity. There are lots of emerging studies to show that shocking our bodies a little (such as cold water immersion) has so many benefits for both our body and mind and can help increase our window of tolerance.
Despite having more modern convivences than ever before, we are in a society where we are overwhelmed. The World Health Organisation have statistics to show that depression and anxiety are increasing year on year. People are being prescribed more medication, but what if the solution where not in the medical model but more about how we live in the world and what we do with our bodies. What if shocking our bodies, a little bit ever day, does us the world of good? The very act of pushing out of your comfort zone can give you a sense of confidence.
Ways to challenge yourself mentally and physically:
Cold immersion – turning your shower to cold for a few seconds at the end, putting your hand in cold water, go into the cold, wild swimming, cold water immersion in an ice bath or plunge pool – all of these activate the brown fat in your body
Use of heat – studies show using saunas can improve blood flow in the body as well as activate chemicals and hormones in your body (such as noradrenaline and dopamine) producing feelings of euphoria.
Exercise – lifting weights, doing squats and seeing yourself get stronger and improve over time.
Next time you feel a reluctance or resistance to something – do it! Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do something that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable – your brain and body will thank you for the opportunity to grow!
To learn more about the topics mentioned:
Feel Better Live More PODCAST The New Science of Cold Exposure
The Space PODCAST What’s your window of tolerance?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-window-of-tolerance/id1535147582?i=1000558001180