Voluntary Discomfort: Why you should choose to do hard things
We live in a civilization today that, in most respects, is more privileged than any that came before it. Life expectancy has exceeded 80 years in many of the developed countries and Steven Pinker, one of brightest minds today, provides convincing evidence that, despite common perceptions, violence is at an all-time low and continues to trend in that direction [1].
Despite the “evolution” that we see in humanity, there are some concerns about our mental health. Statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that over 20% of the population in the United States experienced mental illness in 2019, with suicide being the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10-34 (with accidental death being number one) [2]. Collected data from global authorities suggest that over 10% of the world population live with a mental health disorder [3]. Empirically, in our own daily lives (whether it be friends, family, or ourselves), most of us would not be hard pressed to identify that this is a major challenge that the world faces today.
So, why do we struggle with mental well-being when the world has made so many advancements in physical health and (for lack of a better word) safety?
That argument can be made that the “easiness” of today’s world is, in fact, the problem. Historically, survival was a challenge. There wasn’t the convenience of grocery stores, nor the comfort of a well-heated home. Resources had to be gathered and we often had to rely on the collective efforts of our group to survive. This made daily life purposeful and healthy socialization was a function of society. Was life perfect? Hardly. But much of the daily hardship made individuals stronger (mentally as well as physically).
Without “true” (i.e. referring to struggles regarding survival) struggles, our body tries to make sense of our modern world. So, rather than living a stress free life, our body starts to perceive our daily struggles as stressful.
“Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”
– Jerzy Gregorek [4]
Most of us are very fortunate and don’t have many hard choices we have to make. We have countless easy choices but most people aren’t walking around talking about how easy life is (and if they were, they probably wouldn’t be the most popular people around). So, how can we make our own “easy” life (it’s important to understand that “easy” is referring to the fact that we don’t have to struggle to survive, it doesn’t mean the stress/angst we experience in our lives isn’t real) more fulfilling? How can we better overcome our daily stressors and become better prepared for what life throws at us? A well-renowned Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, provides sound advice:
‘...neither a bull nor a noble-spirited man comes to be what he is all at once; he must undertake hard winter training, and prepare himself, and not propel himself rashly into what is not appropriate to him.’
Not surprisingly, like all things worthwhile in life, we can improve with practice. If we are to become resilient to hardship, we must expose ourselves to hardship. Which brings us to our core topic: voluntary discomfort.
Voluntary Discomfort - the act of intentionally undergoing discomfort to train or better prepare oneself for hardship.
We are in a unique (and empowered) position to decide how to increase our resilience and recalibrate our stress system. In the simplest of terms, if you choose to willingly do something difficult, you will become better at overcoming that task [5]. The greater benefit, however, is that its effects will often rub off on everything else you do each day.
Common examples of voluntary discomforts include:
• Cold water exposure
• Fasting
• Exercise
• Setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier
• Sleeping on the floor
I am personally a huge advocate for voluntary discomfort. I have, unknowingly, practiced it for years through daily exercise. While I recognize the obvious benefits of physical improvements through exercise, the mental benefit of completing a daily exercise regimen (even when every part of your body seems to tell you, “no”) is remarkable. I intentionally pursue a couple of workouts/week that are extremely difficult mentally and physically, as to make the rest of the weeks’ tasks seem insubstantial (or, at the very least, less burdensome).
However, to help illustrate the practice, I endeavoured to add in another voluntary discomfort. Starting on September 27th, I fully submerged myself in cold water, outside, in the elements, every weekend (6). The Titan team were willing to play along and took part in a nice balmy Polar Bear swim. You can check it out here.
With the addition of cold-water exposure, I can say that I do feel better prepared for my week. Every week it is still a challenge, but it is something I know I can endure. Does it hurt? Sure. But it also makes all those little things in life that much easier. And I plan to continue my weekly exposure. At least until I start seeing other swimmers again.
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to add any comments below.
Footnotes:
Read about this further in Steven Pinker’s, “The Better Angels of our Nature: Why Violence has Declined.”
https://www.nami.org/mhstats#:~:text=20.6%25%20of%20U.S.%20adults%20experienced,represents%201%20in%2020%20adults.
https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health
Jerzy Gregorek is a man who went from being an alcoholic to winning four World Weightlifting Championships
It should be noted that perception is very important here; if you willingly try to do something hard and complete it but reflect on it being the most difficult thing you have ever done you can, in fact, decrease your resiliency to that task. Furthermore, you can increase your training by recognizing that everything difficult you do in a day is helping you become more resilient to future hardship (and realizing that almost everything we do is voluntary, including getting up and going to work and going to the dentist).
I admit, it was not too cold the first couple times and there were a few “normal” people still swimming