An Ode to Feeling Uncomfortable

An Ode to Feeling Uncomfortable
If we don't learn to be comfortable with our discomfort, we will lack one of the most essential traits for a rich and meaningful life—forebearance. My Ocean Production/Shutterstock
Nancy Colier
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Our culture has developed a new kind of allergy, an allergy to a particular experience—namely, emotional discomfort.

It seems that we’re no longer willing or able to tolerate feeling uncomfortable. And furthermore, we’ve come to believe we shouldn’t have to tolerate any kind of emotional discomfort. Any situation that could possibly trigger uncomfortable feelings is now viewed as overwhelming, unnatural, and in need of correction.

Nancy Colier
Nancy Colier
Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, thought leader, public speaker, and the author of "Can't Stop Thinking: How to Let Go of Anxiety and Free Yourself from Obsessive Rumination,” “The Power of Off,” and the recently released “The Emotionally Exhausted Woman: Why You’re Depleted and How to Get What You Need” (November, 2022.)
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