Getting Comfortable With Uncomfortable Change
When I started Warrior Fit Academy, there were many times where I felt discouraged at how difficult it was. Part of me wondered if I should give up and do something easier or simpler. It stretched me in ways I’d never experienced before and challenged me with all the new changes it brought to my life.
Change is hard, no matter what it is! Whether it’s getting a new job, or moving to a different city and getting acclimated, change is often uncomfortable. It requires us to exit our auto-pilot and act with intention. It requires conscious decision-making, retraining habits, and a lot of energy.
When it comes to changing our lifestyle, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In today’s fast-paced culture, most people are operating at full capacity on any given day. The thought of replacing automatic habits with intentional or challenging lifestyle changes can feel impossible. The good news, however, is that while change is hard at first, it does get easier the more you do it.
Change: Life’s only Constant
You might have heard this quote from an ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus: “The only constant in life is change.” Things are constantly changing, both inside and around our bodies. Whether it’s the latest fashions, a new job, or your own body, change is all around us. It is an undeniable fact of life. As a result, the more you’re able to adapt to change, the more you’ll be able to be resilient and succeed in every area of your life.
People who are able to be flexible, go with the flow, and adapt to their changing circumstances stand a better chance of growing, feeling less anxious or overwhelmed, and reaching their goals. The best thing you can do to set yourself up for success is to get comfortable with the discomfort of change!
Short-Term Comfort vs Long-Term Benefits
As I mentioned before, it always feels easier to stay on the same path rather than change course. However, both options come with a cost. Choosing short-term comfort ends up costing you later on down the road, while the cost for long-term benefits often has to be paid up front.
For example, if you smoke every day in your twenties, you most likely won’t experience the health consequences until years later. On the other hand, getting up early every morning to work out feels like a huge investment in time and energy in the moment, but the long-term benefits of taking care of your body continue to pay dividends decades later through strength, mobility, and bone density as you age.
It’s crucial to evaluate what is important to you and what you are willing to invest in, and then be intentional about choosing the path that will bring you closer to the kind of life you want.
One more thing: even though choosing to change your habits now feels like the harder choice, it DOES eventually get easier through repetition. Just as learning to drive a car gradually becomes more and more automatic, learning to live a holistic, healthy lifestyle will become easier little by little every time you choose to do so. Conversely, choosing convenience and comfort now will only increase your discomfort later on down the road.
How to Live with the Discomfort
So, how can you become a person who is comfortable with the discomfort? I have four tips for you:
1. Take it Slow
The most important thing you can do is take it slow. Implement small, seemingly insignificant changes one at a time over a long period of time. The smaller the change, the quicker your brain will be able to absorb it into your lifestyle as an automatic habit. These incremental changes are more sustainable than huge changes that overhaul your entire life. 1% increases over time are better than a 100% change that you’re unable to maintain.
2. Take it Easy
A lot of people have a tendency to over complicate things. It’s not necessary to learn how to cook complicated recipes with ingredients you’ve never heard of before. You don’t need to learn how to use all the machines in the gym. You don’t have to buy three different apps to track everything from sleep to steps to macros. Take it easy and keep it simple. Move your body more. Find a nighttime routine that works for you. Substitute one thing in your pantry for something with lower sugar. It doesn’t have to be complicated, so don’t make it harder than it needs to be!
3. Take it Gently
You are not going to do everything perfectly. You will have days where you give in to the cravings, or where you choose to snooze your alarm rather than get up when you said you were going to. It’s incredibly important to learn how to be gentle with yourself in these moments. Punishing yourself or indulging in negative self-talk is only going to harm you. Take a breath, acknowledge where you fell short, and pick yourself back up. Gently.
4. Take it Together
One of the best ways to weather the discomfort of change is to take it on with someone (or someones). Whether it’s a coach, a partner, a friend, or someone else, having a supportive community can spell the difference between success and failure on your transformative journey. The right partner can motivate you, inspire you and encourage you when the motivation wilts and the discomfort grows.
If you don’t have that support network, I encourage you to check out my free Facebook group! We have hundreds of like-minded, busy women who are dedicated to learning how to heal their bodies from the inside out and lifting each other up on this journey together. Join now and get access to free resources, fun challenges, and weekly live trainings with yours truly!
Avoid Regret: Invest Now
Learning how to adapt to change is important not just in your health and fitness journey, but in every aspect of life. The more comfortable you are with change, the better equipped you will be to handle whatever life throws at you! Remember that change comes slowly and, although it feels difficult at first, will gradually become easier the more you stick with it. The important thing is to make sure that the price you’re paying is actually bringing you closer to your life goals, and not further away from it. Oftentimes, this means paying an immediate cost for long-term benefits down the road.
If you are interested in starting your journey toward permanent transformation but are unsure of where to start, start by finding a time on my calendar! I’ve helped hundreds of busy women experience real healing and permanent transformation by equipping them with all the tools they need to succeed. Don’t wait and regret it later. Take control of your health today!
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