Taking uncomfortable action

This week’s blog is inspired by the wonderful Leanne Jones of Leananda Yoga. Leanne recently began posting live videos of herself on her Instagram page, as she walks in the beautiful Dorset countryside near her home. She was deliberately stepping outside of her comfort zone to make these videos and talking openly about the difficulties of taking uncomfortable action. In addition, she was exploring an area completely new to her, having moved house recently, so it was a big step into the unknown in more ways than one!

We all shy away from doing certain things because we believe it will lead to a feeling of discomfort. And nobody likes to feel uncomfortable, do they? So it’s a great excuse to take no action at all!

But what if the thing we are avoiding is something that is important to our growth or our everyday life?

“I’ll do it later,” you tell yourself. Yeah, right. When is later, exactly?

“I’ll do it when I’ve had more training.” OK. But how much training is enough?

"Somebody else will do it." What if they don't want to take action either?

"It's not necessary." Maybe it isn't, but you won't know what a difference it could make to your life unless you actually do it.

That part of you that tries to keep you safe flashes every STOP sign it can find at you. And as human beings we like to predict outcomes and feel safe, so you tend to pay attention! And then you find yourself stuck, doing the same old thing and getting the same old result.

But if you always stay in your comfort zone how will you ever grow?

And how do you get unstuck?

AWARENESS

First, begin to create an awareness of when you are avoiding certain tasks or situations. Notice the uncomfortable feeling that comes from just thinking about taking action. Where do you feel it in your body? Say to it, "Oh, hi! I know what you're trying to do!"

SHIFT STATE

Create an open body language and posture - relax your shoulders, straighten your back, hold your arms out to the side, tilt your face upwards towards the sky and SMILE! (Especially if you don’t feel like it!)

Regulate your breath - make your exhales longer than your inhales to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. This makes everything in your body ‘power down’ like when you switch off a computer.

Begin to ask yourself WHAT IF questions.

What if it’s easier than I thought?

What if it all turns out fine?

What if I really enjoy it?

What if this is the last time I ever have to feel like this?

These three simple actions will allow you to shift into a calmer, more resourceful state. From here you will find that taking action becomes much easier to do.

JUST DO IT

That might sound pretty brutal, but confidence comes ONLY from taking action. That’s how we learn and grow. And yes, it might feel uncomfortable at first - but the good news is, it’s only going to get easier. As you take action, you begin the process of rewiring your brain for a different response to this task or situation. Afterwards, congratulate yourself for doing the difficult thing and the next time you will find that your mind and body supports you far more quickly.

PROVE IT TO YOURSELF

Difficult or uncomfortable things CAN be done, and here’s one way to prove it to yourself. Start brushing your teeth with the hand you wouldn’t normally use. At first it will feel totally wrong - really uncomfortable and downright impossible! But stick with it - do this twice a day for a week, and you’ll realise that you have adapted. You have trained your brain and the action of using a different hand is no longer as uncomfortable as it once was.

When you can do this, I wonder what other uncomfortable things you can do, that will soon feel natural and easy?