Why We Need to Stop Running from Discomfort
We all have the tendency to take the easy way out when life gets hard — to distract ourselves and numb the pain using food, drink, or people.
In her book When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chödrön writes about the importance of staying with discomfort rather than running from it. Here’s an excerpt from the book:
When we feel lonely, when we feel hopeless, what we want to do is move to the right or the left. We don’t want to sit and feel what we feel. We don’t want to go through the detox.
Yet the middle way encourages us to do that. It encourages us to awaken the bravery that exists in everyone without exception, including you and me.
Meditation provides a way for us to train in the middle way — in staying right on the spot. We are encouraged not to judge whatever arises in our mind. What we usually call good or bad we simply acknowledge as thinking, without all the usual drama that goes along with right and wrong.
Shilpa Kapilavai
Shilpa Kapilavai is a writer, meditator, and former IT professional passionate about personal growth and helping others live happy lives. She writes about self-help, mental health & mindfulness and aims to inspire readers to open their minds to self-discovery and make positive life changes. Join her on this journey towards a more meaningful life.
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