Identifying Your Discomfort Urges
Image by Opal Hour Photo
Identifying Your Discomfort Urges
In the last blog, we discussed how to create space between discomfort and your response.
In this blog, we're getting curious about the urge that shows up with discomfort: the thing your brain wants you to do, to make the discomfort go away.
An urge is information, not an instruction. The rep is creating enough space to notice it, before you decide what you want to do next.
Discomfort often comes with an urge to do something, that will make the feeling change quickly:
Quit
Skip
Scroll
Eat
Avoid
Fix
Start over
Change the plan
Get certainty, right now
This week, practice noticing that urge before automatically following it. You are not trying to make the urge disappear. You're learning to recognize what your brain is offering you, when discomfort shows up.
What does this discomfort make me want to do?
Maybe it’s:
“I don’t feel like working out.” → Skip it.
“This is harder than I expected.” → Stop.
“I already missed two workouts.” → Start over next week.
“This isn’t going the way I planned.” → Change the whole damn plan.
Discomfort often comes with an urge to do something, that will give us relief.
NOTICE → URGE → GET CURIOUS → PAUSE → CHOOSE
NOTICE: What feels uncomfortable right now?
URGE: What does the discomfort make you want to do?
GET CURIOUS: What am I hoping that response will do for me?
PAUSE: Can I let the urge be here, without immediately obeying it?
CHOOSE: What do I want to do next?
The urge makes sense.
Your brain likes relief. When something feels uncomfortable, uncertain, inconvenient, boring, awkward, or hard, wanting the discomfort to stop is a very human response.
The goal isn't to ignore yourself.
You can pause, and still stop the workout.
You can notice a craving, and decide to eat.
You can sit with, “I don't feel like doing this.” and decide today really is a rest day.
What escape route is your brain offering?
The “escape route” is simply the response that promises quick relief, from the discomfort. Start noticing yours.
Some Common Movement Escape Routes
The workout feels harder than expected. → “I should just stop.”
You feel tired before starting. → “I'll do it tomorrow.”
You only have 20 minutes → “It isn't worth doing, now.”
You feel awkward trying something new → “I'll stick with what I already know.”
Curiosity Question: What is this response promising me?
Relief?
Certainty?
Comfort?
Control?
Distraction?
A way out of feeling awkward or imperfect?
This week, we’re practicing noticing that urge, before automatically following it.
That does not mean you have to choose the harder option.
The rep is creating a little space between feeling something and automatically reacting to it.
Look for patterns, not a score.
Which discomforts show up most?
What kind of relief does your brain reach for?
What becomes possible when you create a little space?
