Get Comfortable. It's Going to Hurt.

As a society, our tolerance for discomfort has gone way down. We've got houses and electricity, water, food, money, cars. Hot baths and massages, manicured nails and Instagram worthy coffees. Netflix and ice-cream. We're living the good life. But all that goodness comes at a cost.

Back in the day we were scrambling to find shelter, huddling to keep warm, dealing with famines and illness and death from infection. We'd lose mothers and children at childbirth, fathers and sons in rivalries. We'd navigate the wilderness with our bare feet and a spear, and spend our whole life building the architectural dreams of the king. We were hard core. Today it sucks when the internet goes out.

The thing is, we are perfectly capable of withstanding pain. We are designed to hold discomfort. It's part of life. But ice-cream, cake and chips make it seem optional.

The longer we spend avoiding pain, the less convinced we are that we can actually withstand it. We're beginning to lose belief that we're strong enough. We think we can't cope. We forget that we're human, and that we've been facing pain since the beginning of time. Pain is part of the deal.

It still comes as a shock though, that the only way to dissipate pain is to go through it instead of around it. Feeling fat is painful. Eating so much that you feel sick is agonizing. Ignoring a binge urge can be incredibly uncomfortable. Feeling you've blown it is hurtful and disheartening. It's hard to stay with these feelings. It's hard to say 'Okay, you're here, stay as long as you need to' and not react to the vibration of fear and anxiety that is telling you to run away.

When you decide to answer discomfort with food, and tell yourself you can't withstand it, you continue to lower your tolerance to pain, while simultaneously causing yourself even more. It's time to stand up for yourself and your human abilities. You're strong enough. You can endure anything. It may not be easy, but it's part of being human.