Why Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Works

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that made you uncomfortable and wished you could move beyond the anxiety? Or witnessed someone in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, but they appear perfectly fine?  

Let's take the example of standing at a cliff. We get anxious when we stand at the edge of a cliff, so our brain tells us to step further back. However, you may have noticed that some people can stand right on the edge of a cliff and comfortably look down. They have likely rewired their brain and you can to!  

Whenever we are anxious or uncomfortable, that is our brain’s way of telling us that we might be in danger, and we need to react.  Anxiety is not a bad thing; it is what keeps us safe in scary situations.  For example, let's go back to that cliff, when we stand at the edge of a cliff our brain says, “back away, this is dangerous” so we back up and our brain goes “Phew, we lived, let’s do that same thing every time we see a cliff!”  Simply put, our brain will signal anxiety when it has no reason to believe the situation is safe. So, lets teach our brain its safe! 

Rewiring our brain - neuroplasticity - is a way we can reduce our anxieties.  Let’s go back to the cliff example. Last time, we backed away immediately, now, let’s say instead, we stand there for 10 minutes. Our brain now says, “Hey, we stood there for 10 minutes, and nothing happened.  We survived!”  You have now rewired your brain and next time you are near a cliff you will be able to stand there and admire the view! 

So, if you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable, you can rewire your brain to accept new truths.  This is how you can change the habits that do not serve you or reinforce the ones that do.  Giving in to anxieties that are not warranted limits your world.  Whenever you are uncomfortable, take small steps, and eventually you will rewire your brain to accept the new reality. 

Next week, let’s talk about how this method can help us be more comfortable with finances!