TLDR Summary: The comforts of modern life are robbing us of many of the things that make life good. But sometimes we need MORE comfort in order to thrive. Humaning seems always to be both/and.
As I lounge in my super-sized, comfy camping chair on my back deck, an ice-cold beverage by my side, a belly full of sushi, a box fan blowing gently on my legs to keep the bugs away, I feel a little hypocritical, because I intend to write about how our comfortable lives are killing us.
But….I’m going to go ahead and write about it anyway. Maybe someday I will reread this and get the boost I need to go out there and do the uncomfortable thing that I am procrastinating on because, “I don’t FEEEEEEL like it.” I hope you can pick up the whine inherent in my mental voice as I say that.
So here goes!
I just finished The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. It is a fabulous book. He blends a riveting story about hunting caribou in the Alaskan tundra with a heavy dose of science about how our modern lives, in many ways, are robbing us of the stuff we need to be happy.
Come to find out, humans need challenges in order to thrive. We need to test our limits. We need to push PAST the limits our brains tell us we have to discover our ACTUAL limits. We need to be in nature A LOT. We need to move our bodies A LOT. Here’s a few other tidbits I picked up from the book:
- It’s OK to be hungry (I write this as I eat a bowl of sour cream and onion potato chips).
- We need to embrace the suck to thrive.
- We’re getting done in by ourselves and the tales we tell ourselves.
- We need to contemplate our own death to appreciate life (and to decrease regrets at the end of life).
- Death is coming, but we can take the scenic route and notice the beauty of the path.
- This leads us to question, “What life do I WANT to live??”
- Holding on to that which is changing (e.g. EVERYTHING in life) only causes suffering.
- Humans are born to carry heavy things over long distances.
- Do hard things and the rest of life gets easier and you appreciate it all the more.
- Outdoor physical activity with other people is FOUNDATIONAL to being human.
- We need NOVEL experiences to decelerate our experience of time.
- We need to THINK less and NOTICE more.
- We need more connection, silence, and solitude, less screen time, more listening.
I’ve been ruminating on the messages in this book quite a bit. As you may know, I am in Somatic Experiencing Trauma Resolution training. A lot of our training revolves around encouraging people to tune in to their resources – to the things that support them and make them feel comfortable and at ease. Even though our modern lives are steeped in a lot more comfort than they were historically, in many ways, we lack attunement to what we really need to relax, be at ease, give our bodies the time and space they need to heal – and that is even more true when we’ve experienced trauma. In SE, we encourage clients to turn toward this and build the capacity to notice what would make us more comfortable and at ease.
So…. Do we need MORE comfort or LESS comfort?
I think the only answer is, Yes.
For me at least, I need more discomfort in my daily rituals. I need to experience hunger (and not treat it like an emergency). I need to not be at a constant 72 degrees. I need to push my body and my mind to help them get stronger and more resilient. When I get closer to my edges, I feel more alive and more capable. I build my confidence that, “Yeah! I can handle this!”
AND when it’s time to rest, regenerate, and rebuild, I need to honor that. I need to carve out space for undisturbed silence. I need to take a break when my shoulder is killing me from micromoving my mouse all morning long. I need to allow myself to go pee even though I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!
That’s where I’ve landed. I need more discomfort and more comfort – just in different areas and different times of my life. What do you think? Do you think we are in a Comfort Crisis?
In an effort to push myself into my discomfort zone today I tried a little rucking. Initially I did a short 2 block walk with a 27 lb paver stone. TOO HEAVY!! I traded it for a 7ish lb dictionary which was a bit TOO LIGHT, but I took it out for a 3-mile spin and enjoyed the feeling of doing something novel that could help me get stronger and more resilient.
In my Wednesday Reset weekly meditation/movement class we’ll exploring both sides of the coin – some weeks we’ll go to our edge and other weeks we will bring ALL the cushions and pillows and yum.
- Here is a sample of one of the Yum classes.
- Here’s the link to sign up, if you want to join me for a class sometime.
- Class is held on Wednesdays over Zoom from 12:45PM-1PM, and the cost is $5 (no class on 7/24 due to travel).
I hope you have the Sunday that you need today!
Love,
Heather
Space to be Human Lab
Do you want to feel a little bit more at home in your body? Here are a few options that can help!
- You can book a bodywork session here (prices range from $115 to $85).
- You can book a free Wellbeing Coaching consultation here. I am offering a 6-session coaching package for $240. You can read testimonials here.
- You can sign up for my $5 weekly 15 meditation/movement class here.
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