Creating Comfort

Change is inherently uncomfortable.

Whenever we attempt to go against the grain of our familiar habits, there’s bound to be some resistance.

It might even feel like your “inner toddler” throwing a tantrum and digging her heels in as she declares, “I don’t wanna, and you can’t make me.”

But although feeling uncomfortable is a natural part of the process, it doesn’t mean we need to (or should) be in a state of perpetual discomfort 24/7.

You can only be uncomfortable for so long before you decide this isn’t really worth it if this is the cost.

So…

This is why it’s important to create comfort for yourself.

Comfort is your sense of safety—knowing that although this might feel challenging now, all will be okay.

That what you’re doing is sustainable because you have your “safety net,” aka comfort, to fall back upon when things “heat up” and you feel the burn.

The question is…

How do you create this sense of comfort in your daily life?

Well, for example…

Having a plan is a great start.

Having a backup to the original plan might be even better.

For example, if X happens, then I’ll do Y instead.

This backup plan can be permanently built-in…you don’t need to create a new one every day.

You make the plan once and then utilize it repeatedly when needed.

We can also build comfort into our daily habits.

For example, many of the women I work with have found comfort in a fasting lifestyle.

They’ve established clear boundaries when eating and when they are not.

For many, fasting is inherently uncomfortable (at least at first).

But then, it starts to get easy and feel effortless.

For them, it creates a sense of safety, of relief.

Because when their “eating window” has closed, they no longer have to deal with the niggling thoughts of “a snack sounds really nice right now.”

There’s less self-negotiation because they’ve made it a non-issue.

There’s no decision to be made…it’s been made for them already.

Eating will commence tomorrow.

Exercise is another area where resistance can be a mounting issue.

How can you inject comfort into your exercise habits?

Well, the first step is finding something that you actually enjoy doing.

I’ll use myself as an example.

I’ve found a “workout” routine (a fitness app) that works well for me

So well, I can do it every day.

But there’s comfort inherently built in.

For one, the sessions are, on average, about 20 minutes, give or take, with shorter duration options available as well, and secondly, there are varying types of exercises and intensities.

So…I always have a “backup” plan built in for those days when I’m not feeling it or crunched for time.

Like choosing something less intense, such as a yoga or stretching-based session, or a shorter-duration session that’s under 10 minutes.

My minimum baseline is one session per day.

Many days I do more…but I know I only “have” to do one.

I like this strategy because I don’t break my momentum.

And the best part?

Zero resistance.

It hasn’t always been this way, but I’ve found something that fits my current schedule/lifestyle and aligns with my current goals.

How might you do this for yourself?

Consider all of your habits.

Food, eating, exercise, sleep, lifestyle, etc.

Yes, being able to allow some discomfort is part of the process of getting to our goals.

Sometimes we have to choose what might feel “uncomfortable” at the moment to get the results that we want long-term.

But we also have the ability to create comfort for ourselves as well.

Feeling a sense of safety is imperative to keep us moving forward.

How can you create more comfort for yourself today that will benefit you in the days to come?

Have a wonderful week,

~Elaine

P.S. This is the work we do in my 1:1 coaching program.

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