It’s time for another weekly round-up of tips for better mental health! Each week I share a handful of things I’ve come across that I find interesting, intriguing and inspirational, plus I tell you about anything noteworthy that’s coming up on my weekly podcast, Let’s Talk About Mental Health, or just generally in terms of my work. So… let’s talk!
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Hello Talkers! 👋🗣😃
My therapist currently has me sitting with my discomfort for well over a month now, and with no end in sight… and it turns out I have enough stuff to feel uncomfortable about to fill one of those ‘Going Out of Business!’ warehouse sales that’s still open (and still going out of business) when you walk past in 10 year’s time.
I won’t go into details other than to say it’s about family stuff I’ve mentioned in the podcast, and the bigger issues/unresolved trauma that’s brought up, but the point here is that I’m having to confront a whole bunch of stuff that has never been touched; it was locked in a box and put away in a dusty corner, still exerting its influence on my life but not having a big enough effect that I was forced to acknowledge its presence or even contemplate looking inside it.
Until now.
Each time we peek into that box, something else jumps out to make me feel uncomfortable all over again. My default mode has always been to retreat into my shell (typical Cancerian) or to self-soothe with unhealthy coping mechanisms (like eating my body weight in food), so to change things I’m having to sit with these thoughts, feelings and memories for an uncomfortably long period (because nothing changes if nothing changes)… and I low-key hate it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s making an enormous positive difference already (even though each day continues to be a rollercoaster of emotions)… but it’s just so damn uncomfortable. And if you’re anything like me, you go out of your way to avoid discomfort like the plague.
But in discomfort we find opportunity, and we find our true self. In the words of one unknown wise sage:
“Growth is derived from a place of discomfort.”
Unknowl
So here’s my tip of the week: learn to sit with discomfort. Start small and don’t push yourself too hard or too fast, but allow yourself to just sit with those feelings instead of rushing to push them away or to distract yourself. Notice what thoughts and emotions come up for you, as well as any physical sensations, and just be aware of yourself. That’s it, nothing more; awareness is a great place to start in any endeavour, especially when it’s potentially confronting.
I’ll report back in a few months about how my own journey with discomfort is going; I’m planning an episode on the topic for late April… so even though my therapist told me not to put a timeframe on things, I’ve gone ahead and done it anyway!
Until our next talk,
Jeremy 😃
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Thanks for reading and have a fantastic week. Talk to you next time! JG 🙂
Did you read this from a link or have it forwarded to you? Join my mailing list to have it sent to your inbox each Thursday, along with the new episode of Let’s Talk About Mental Health every Sunday.
© 2024 Jeremy Godwin
Nice post ✍️
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Thanks!
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