Ep #54: Embrace Discomfort: Your Journey to Unleashing Inner Strength

Three years of mourning, countless moments avoiding discomfort, both personal and professional. Sounds familiar? But what if those tough challenges, even lost friendships, are truly stepping stones to growth? Join us as I uncover how embracing discomfort can transform your leadership and help you thrive in life after multiple losses of grief. Stay tuned!

Welcome to Overcoming Grief, a show for women experiencing profound grief and looking for support in healing and transforming their lives. If you are ready to heal after loss, create a new self-identity, take responsibility to do the hard things, and get massive results in your life, this show is for you. Now, here’s your host, Master Grief and Life Coach, Sandy Linda.

Hello, creative humans, how are you all doing? If this is your first time, welcome to the show. It is so good to have you with us today. A special thanks to those who continue to support and listen to it. I understand the hardship and loneliness of the grief journey, but you are not alone. I am sending you all my deepest empathy and wishes for healing as you navigate this challenging path.

So today’s discussion was inspired by some of our community members who found themselves stuck in what I call the comfort zone of sorrow.

It is a place that, while familiar, can prevent us from growing through our grief. In our death-denying society, facing multiple losses in a short period can make it incredibly difficult to step out of this zone.

But here is the thing. For high-performing women leaders who have faced significant losses, embracing discomfort can be a powerful character trait for professional growth. Leaders who have overcome grief often become more relatable and inspiring to their teams. By embracing intellectual honesty and shared values, you can transform your experiences into a source of strength, guiding others through difficult times with empathy and wisdom.

Today, I am exploring why stepping outside your comfort zone is essential when dealing with multiple losses of grief. While you may feel safe and familiar, you can also limit your potential. By challenging yourselves to embrace discomfort, you open the doors to learning new skills, developing resilience, and discovering hidden strengths you never knew you had.

I am going to discuss the concept of the comfort zone and how it can hinder personal and professional growth. Explain why it is crucial for high achieving women to embrace tough challenges head on. And I will share some valuable tips and strategies to help you embrace discomfort and improve your character.

So whether you are navigating personal loss, professional challenges, or both, this episode is for you. Let us dive in and discover how embracing discomfort can lead to profound personal and professional growth.

Let me share a bit of my own journey with you. When I walked into a period of multiple losses, I found myself struggling to embrace discomfort and move forward. Now, grief is a struggle that everyone endures in their lifetime, but facing multiple losses in quick successions can be overwhelming.

For three years, I was stuck in a cycle of grief after losing both my parents and my sister. It felt impossible to step out of my comfort zone and face the discomfort of moving forward. Here in America, we often live in a death-denying culture. Death is rarely discussed openly, and most people go to great lengths to mask the reality of loss and grief.

The journey was challenging for me because I rarely encounter others who have experienced multiple significant losses in such a short time frame. However, the recent pandemic has changed this landscape, forcing many to confront losses and find ways to cope with deep grief while seeking paths to healing.

This journey led me to a deeper understanding of the comfort zone and its significant impact on our lives. Many of us, when dealing with multiple losses of grief or major life changes, we retreat into this familiar space. But what exactly is the comfort zone? And why can it be so harmful to our growth? Let us explore the concept of the comfort zone and its significance for our personal and professional character development.

So the comfort zone is defined as a mental state in which a person feels familiar, safe, and in control. While this sounds positive, it can actually become a significant barrier to growth and development. And here is why.

The first barrier is the limited learning opportunities. You do not encounter new challenges that force you to learn and adapt within the comfort zone. This can lead to inactivity, to skills and knowledge.

Another barrier is reduced creativity and innovation. Comfort often develops laziness, which can silence creative thinking and problem solving abilities.

In a professional context, this can mean missing out on innovative solutions or opportunities. Another barrier is decreased resilience. Staying comfortable does not allow us to build the mental and emotional resilience needed to face life’s undeniable challenges. For those dealing with grief, this can make it harder to adapt to their new reality.

And the last barrier is reduced confidence. Staying in the comfort zone can actually erode confidence over time, while it might seem counterintuitive.

Overcoming challenges builds self-esteem and beliefs in one’s abilities. By embracing challenges rather than avoiding them, we are not just solving problems, we are shaping our character. Now, you might wonder, how exactly do I embrace these challenges when I am feeling vulnerable or overwhelmed? That is a brilliant question, and it is exactly what we are going to address here today.

So let us dive into some valuable techniques for embracing discomfort and building up your mental strength. These strategies will help you transform challenges into opportunities for growth and character development. So I call this technique for building mental strength and fortitude. When you step out of your comfort zone, you open the door to building mental strength. Remember, comfort can be tricky, often robbing you of opportunities for growth and fortitude.

Think of yourself as your own mental strength coach. Be on alert to your discomfort levels. Do not retreat to your comfort zone to escape tough challenges.

Engage in regular mental strength exercises by pushing your boundaries that can build your self-confidence and resilience. Here are actionable tools to help you embrace discomfort and thrive, even after experiencing multiple loss in a short period of grief.

So number one is, get ready, start a discomfort challenge journal. Commit to one small, uncomfortable task each day for 30 days. Record the tasks, your feelings, before and after, and lessons learned. Let me give you an example. For me, I had to revamp my exercise routine. So before my grief, I was stuck in a mundane workout habit. I was going to the gym in the evening after work, would drive in, get my classes, or do body strength training classes.

But after the loss, I stopped exercising altogether. Then after three years of gathering my grief and getting into the space of mourning, I took on a new challenge, which was implementing HIIT training twice a week, working with a personal trainer for new weight techniques, instead of me doing deadlifts or squats.

But now there are so many new techniques for weight training that now I do not find the gym to be boring for me, but some days I do. But then I also take daily nature walks for mental sunshines.

So, ask yourself, what new routine can you build? It could be anything and it does not have to be a workout. It could be you are going to start painting or start writing. This practice builds a habit of facing discomfort and builds character through facing challenges. Number two is create a growth board.

Some people call it a vision board, but I am going to call it a growth board. So design a visual representation of your growth goals and achievements. Include sections for your personal and professional challenges you want to tackle. And add inspirational quotes, images of role models, and visibly track your progress. Place it where you will see it daily as a reminder of your commitment to growth.

Remember, mental strength is not ingrained, it is a skill you build over time. It requires consistent practice and dedication. And here is how you can cultivate it. Observe your thoughts and train your brain to think differently. Develop awareness of your emotions and learn healthy coping strategies. Regularly push yourself out of your comfort zone and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.

Building mental strength is a journey of fortitude and persistence. Each time you step out of your comfort zone, you are not just healing, you are evolving. This evolution shapes you into an elegant, resilient

leader, molding your character in profound ways. Your path through grief is uniquely yours, but by embracing discomfort and cultivating mental strength, you are arming yourself with invaluable tools. Every challenge you face becomes an opportunity for growth. Every discomfort is a chance to refine your true character.

The discomfort of grief does not disappear by staying comfortable in other areas of life. Instead, facing challenges head-on builds resilience, self-awareness, empathy, and confidence, all of which are crucial elements of a powerful character leader. You are influencing how you approach future challenges.

You can honor your lost loved ones by taking on the discomfort journal challenge and creating a growth visual board. By doing this, you are lifting their memory forward into new experiences and achievements. Each challenge you overcome strengthens your character and shapes you into a more compassionate and inspiring leader.

Remember, it is in these moments of difficulty that your true character emerges and builds up. The discomfort you face today is shaping the leader you will be tomorrow. More empathetic, more versatile, and more inspiring. Embrace these challenges, for they are the very elements that form your character and refine your leadership position.

Now, here is your journaling prompt that you can carry out into your writing to embrace those discomfort and build your character. Here is your journaling prompt. What new routine can you build to move through your emotional grief storms? Spend 10 to 15 minutes writing about this item and what it represents in your journey of grief and healing.

If journaling is not your preference, take a quiet moment to reflect on this question. Then consider discussing it with a trusted friend or your grieving advocates.

I would love to hear how this journaling or your reflective exercise resonates with you. Share your thoughts or questions via email or on my social media business page.

If today’s discussion helped you or gave you any insights, please share this episode with someone you know who might go through something similar.

Each share brings support and understanding to our listener community. Join us next time as we continue to explore powerful themes that enhance our professional lives and personal growth. Until next time, remember to grieve with grace, nurture your inner strength and lead with courageous hearts. Take care of yourself and keep making gradual progress. Bye everyone.

Thanks for listening to today’s episode of Overcoming Grief. If you’re ready to move into a new, rewarding life experience, and want more information about how to work with Sandy, visit www.sandylinda.com.