The Art of Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
4 Ways to Use Mindfulness to Keep Going In Spite of Your Mood
We all have dreams and aspirations that inspire us to push ourselves beyond our perceived comfort zones. It is a largely accepted fact that growth begins outside of our comfort zone. However, discomfort permeates the space that lies between where we currently are, and where we desire to be.
With each passing new year, birthdays, anniversaries, and other significant milestones, we are all inspired to pause, as we reevaluate our current positions. Regardless of whether we are pleased, or uncomfortable with what we see, we are often all collectively drawn by an inner force, that propels us to embark on new ventures as we aspire to live life more abundantly.
Through intentional mindfulness practice, all are accessible, and within reach. Only, somewhere along the way, our journey to forge a new path, often gets sidelined by the unpredictability of our moods, which threatens to deter us from actualizing our intentions.
By being at the mercy of the very nature of our fluctuating moods, we essentially relinquish our power, crowning our temperamental mood as the arch nemesis of where we desire to be. This post will outline 4 mindfulness ways to support you to stay the course, and go beyond any moods that deter you from your intention.
A Dream Deferred
Many dreams have been deferred by the ever fluctuating, and unpredictability of our moods. At one point or another, we have all fallen prey to the pitfalls of the a temperamental mood. Like a thief in the night, it arrives out of nowhere, placing you at the mercy of your feelings. Suddenly your progress and efforts are stymied by you simply not being in the mood to willingly invest an effort that is equal or greater than what you invested previously.
Seemingly for no specify rhyme no reason, we are literally stuck in the same habitual patterns, simply because we surrendered to the wavering discomforts of our mood.
And just like that, you are once again back at the crossroads of where you first started. Only, you are left to decide whether you are willing to fall back into old habits reliving the same narrative, or get comfortable with being uncomfortable, by preserving in spite of any mood that threatens to derail your progress.
Understandably you willingly accept this as a one off, granting yourself grace, and understanding for this misstep. Overall, chocking it up as an isolated incident. Only this scenario quickly evolves into a common theme. What initially presents itself as an anomaly, is now transformed into a full on habit, where you are no longer putting in the work to actualize your intentions.
Going in Circles
Like many of us, this scenario became way too familiar, as I grew weary of repeating the same narrative year after year. For most of my twenties, and thirties, I was lackadaisical, and inconsistent when it came to fitness.
Like most, it was relatively easy to stay physically fit in my twenties. However, once I crept up into my early to mid thirties, it quickly became evident that the half-assed approach wasn’t going to fly. It was evident that I needed to invest a considerable amount of effort, and consistency, if I intended to achieve my lofty fitness goals. I essentially always believed that because youth was relatively on my side, I had time.
Aside from being in the healthcare field and knowing better, I found myself with more excuses for why I couldn’t commit, then actually doing the work. If you take my inconsistent, half-assed approach to working out, coupled with birthing two children, raising a family, along with all of the many things that come along with being a wife, mother, and balancing a career, I was never without a valid excuse as to why I couldn’t commit to doing the work.
Change is on the Horizon
With forty looming on the horizon, my outlook on my prevailing youth quickly began to shift, from having an over abundance of time, to its time to get off my a** and make it happen. After years of fluctuating in and out of inconsistency, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
It was beyond time for a change. Regardless of my height, weight, or how others perceived me, I needed to make a change for myself. I wanted a vibrant fit body, well-defined cheek, and jaw bones, free of the softness and fluff that I had allowed to impress upon my face and reside rent free for way too long.
Only, this time I knew I had to do things differently. Case in point, I needed to release the need to create smart (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals, and embrace intention. Meaning, I needed to release all expectations, as well as the need to create time constraints around how it would look, and when it would occur. Simply stated, my intention was to be as fit and healthy, as I possibly could.
What better way to step into your forties than to fully forge habits that created a lifestyle that empowers you to feel amazing. This preverbal ahha moment didn’t come at start of the year, or on the heels of my thirty-ninth birthday, it came a whopping 4 months prior to my fortith.
Gratitude for Consistency
I have never been one to go to the gym, as it is something that has never quite resonated with me. However, a few years back I had experimented with and enjoyed the coach-led bootcamp style to working out.
After months of seeing commercials for the bootcamp based workouts at Orange Theory, I was ready and willing to give it a try. Soon after, I set an intention to become as physically fit as I possibly could, so that I could be more fit as I stepped into my forties.
Armed with only an intention, and no other specific plan, or expectations as to how, or when, it would unfold, I was simply open, and committed to the journey. Although I only signed up for two days a week, within a matter of a few short weeks I began to see results. In essence I was hooked. I was over joyed that I had finally found something that was not only fun, but made me feel as if I was on top of the world at the end of each workout.
As the weeks passed, I became more and more addicted to pushing myself to the very edge of my limits. Just as soon as the newness wore off, I began to notice that most days I experienced a mood that lead me to believe that on the weekends, I deserved to prioritize rest over rising at the crack of dawn to leave my house to working out. In other words, I didn’t feel like working out. Only this time, my intention was stronger than my desire to revert to previous habits.
As the weeks turned into months, and years, my predominant mood when it came to working out essentially stayed the same. I never actually felt like getting up to go workout. Regardless of mood I persisted to adhere to my routine, until my leaving the house to workout was no longer contingent upon how I felt.
It was now my norm to observe moods as something that was merely passing through my awareness. In essence, I no longer felt compelled to act in response to it. In practically no time, I lost weight and became more physically fit and toned than I have ever been, until that is, it was no longer a viable option.
Accepting What Is
Within the past two years, the pandemic has seemingly disrupted the world as we once knew it. Specifically taking away the freedom to comfortably leave the house to workout in the midst of a highly contagious strain of COVID-19. Like many others, this reality especially hit hard, as I had to find another means to workout at home.
Just like that, I was yet again back where I started, only this time I had to pivot along with the rest of the world. As the days lapsed into weeks, and months, I completely fell off the wagon, and back into old habits of lackluster effort, and inconsistency. I felt hopeless as I incrementally saw my body go from fit to flab, in a matter of months, or at least that’s how it felt.
Practically a year in, I yearned to get back into it, only now I was faced with the looming reality of having wearing a mask while physically exerting myself in relatively close quarters. Being over forty, and easily overheated, coupled with working in the healthcare space did not fair well for my fitness aspirations.
Like most, I begrudgingly embraced virtual workout platforms with a half-assed effort. I tried it for a while, to no avail. However, I missed the inner drive of working out in a community of others. My thoughts were consumed with what I was missing out on.
I was completely in the throughs of victim-hood based on how the pandemic had completely disrupted my fitness routine. It was obvious I couldn’t continue to live in the past of what was. I had to release my attachments, and live in what was now my new reality for the foreseeable future.
Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone
A good friend recommended that I consider giving Peloton a try. I was initially reluctant to invest such an excessive amount into a stationary bike. As I wrestled with the idea of this investment, I realized that I needed to release myself from the experiences of the past. By focusing on these prior missteps, I was shackling myself to the past, and resisting what is.
The more we talked, the deeper I dove in. First I tried the app, the next thing I knew I was falling in love with in and ready to fully commit to buying a bike. However, I already had a number of exercise devices, and equipment, dispersed throughout the house. Only, now I had to find a way to to get my husband on board.
Although my persuasive skills are quite convincing, I now had to rationalize this purchase. So like most wives on a mission, I cleared our home of all of the old unused equipment that lie dormant in the basement, and set out to make it happen. Before I knew it, I purchased it, and have been loving the journey ever since. Stepping outside of our comfortable zones is not always easy, but the rewards can be far greater than anything you could’ve imagined for yourself.
4 Ways to use Mindfulness to Keep Going in spite of Your Mood
1. Observe the Mood
Much like the clouds in the sky, moods cycle in and out of our awareness. Almost without warning we can experience any number of feelings within a short amount of time.
2. Acceptance it, As is
Mindful awareness invites us to release judgement, and simply observe and accept what we are experiencing in the present moment without trying to change it.
3. Recognize What Arises as a Result
Moods often emerge out of feelings of fear, or inadequacy, as it attempts to influence us to protect ourselves from any feelings of discomfort. Recognize the underlying thoughts that arise, as a result of the mood.
4. Allow Yourself Space to Respond
Release the desire to immediately react in response to the mood. Grant yourself space, to assess whether complying with it will align with your intention. If it doesn’t align, keep going in spite of the feeling that prompts you to do otherwise.