Member-only story
Too Much Comfort Might Be Making You Miserable
How to reignite the spark in your life
A few years ago, my partner and I went camping at Mount Buffalo in Victoria, Australia. It was March, and the weather had already turned quite cold. We slept on old inflatable mattresses that slowly went flat overnight. Wild dogs howled into the darkness.
There were plenty of great moments and fun adventures, but we spent a lot of time feeling uncomfortable.
When we got home, we cuddled on the couch with our dogs and really savored our morning cups of coffee. We took hot showers, ate flavorsome meals, and looked forward to a good night’s sleep. Unlike when we were camping, we had a lovely soft mattress and warm blankets — we didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night to add more layers of clothing for warmth!
The interesting thing is, we often love being comfortable. I’m not sure about you, but I could spend all day sitting on the couch, drinking tea, eating homemade cookies, and reading books. It’s like my ideal day. But what would happen if I lived every day like that?
If every day for a whole week, I’d mostly just get out of bed, go to the couch, read a few chapters, drink some tea, eat a cookie, read some more, and go back to bed? I’d get bored. I’d feel purposeless. I’d be too comfortable. It would be too much of a good thing.
When all of our needs are constantly being met, and we don’t face any type of adversity, we can lose our appreciation for what we have. And I’ve seen this play out in my own life time and time again.
But don’t just take my word for it! A study found that young people who spent just over a week roughing it in the wilderness experienced multiple benefits, including less stress, increased mindfulness, and a higher sense of happiness and life satisfaction.
Another thing that can happen when we become too comfortable is that we might start creating drama just for the heck of it. We pick fights with our loved ones, mentally beat ourselves up for not being good enough, and become fixated on tiny problems that don’t really matter. However, a survey of almost 15000 people found that those who experience hardships and adversity are more likely to enjoy and appreciate small…
