Embrace Challenge and Discomfort!
Jun 27, 2024
Embrace a Challenge Mindset and be Comfortable with Discomfort!
A common fear amongst riders is that we try as hard as we possibly can and still fail. At least if we are holding something back it makes failure more palatable, whereas being 100% committed leaves us with no excuse when the result doesn't go our way.
For this simple reason - challenge is challenging! Having a healthy relationship with challenge rather than avoiding it will help stretch your comfort zone might surprise you to push yourself further than you normally would!
So how can we achieve this?
Some of you may have seen and been inspired by the Wim Hoff series on the BBC - Freeze Your Fear. Wim makes an interesting link between mental ill health and our lack of willingness to practice discomfort. This is something I have always believed passionately in myself - that by angling for a life of more comfort our psycho-physiology loses its range, thereby rendering us less resilient to everyday challenges.
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How do you practice discomfort yourself?
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What specific techniques do you have for encouraging yourself to practice discomfort (on or off the saddle)?
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How do you make the discomfort positive rather than reinforcing the mindset of "getting through it"?
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What successes have you had and what mistakes have you made in the process?