In my interview with rap artist, Eddie Douglas, he shares his story of how he transformed his life by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Growing up in a gritty town in North Carolina, he faced a lot of adversity. And instead of letting it get the best of him, he leaned into these experiences and leveraged them to become more loving and kind.

He went on a spiritual journey that led him to change his life and career. He now lives in Bali where he enjoys life and creates hip hop music.

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What is your relationship like with discomfort?

Mine is a little different these days. Because I learned the hard way that avoiding hard things doesn’t solve my problems, I’m more willing to face them.

Here are 3 practices I use personally to help me get through uncomfortable situations:

1. Presence - I meet myself where I am by either journaling or meditation. Instead of avoiding, I’ll try and get crystal clear about what my emotions are, why they are there and let myself be with them.
2. Self validation - I allow myself to feel what I’m feeling. And no matter what the feeling is, I offer myself words of affirmation as I would to someone I love.
3. Take baby steps - Instead of facing a hard thing head on, I try to break it down into baby steps. Sometimes big projects that I’ve never done before can take me past the edge of my comfort zone that I feel frozen. So instead of thinking about completing the big project all at once, I break it down into more manageable chunks and focus only on one at a time so it’s not as scary.

Do you have any tips of your own for how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable? Send us a DM @theundercurrentpodcast and share your thoughts!