Have you ever found yourself admiring a certain individual for doing difficult things? A recent well-documented example of this was when elite rock-climber Alex Honnold climbed Taipei 101 – precariously suspended hundreds of metres above ground with nothing but grip strength and millimetres of shoe rubber holding his position. A virtual nightmare for many, but for Alex…just another day doing what he loves.

It was an inspiring demonstration of what the human body is capable of.

This is clearly an extreme example of doing difficult things – a lifetime of rock-climbing and exposing himself to danger and precariousness has wired Alex’s brain to accept and manage this state arguably better than anyone ever. This allows him to conquer feats of strength and endurance never-before-seen.

However, we may not be so different from Alex after all – can we become more acceptant of discomfort and challenge simply by choosing the difficult path more often? Can we train ourselves to become more resilient, thus improving our health and well-being along the way? Can choosing the hard task rewire our brain and develop our will-power, complimenting progress towards important lifestyle goals?

What if your ability to push through discomfort is actually trainable?

We’ve all been there…

Procrastinating on a task. Quitting early. Skipping or avoiding a workout cos it’s gonna be tough.

This is a very normal human trait.

Our brains are hardwired to seek comfort and security. We are always trying to move toward safety and away from suffering. We recover, process and understand our world in environments that feel safe and comfortable. This is natural.

But there is a growing body of evidence that always choosing the path of comfort affects our health in a detrimental way. This research indicates that individuals who persevere in the face of challenging situations show better life outcomes in the domains of health, academic achievement, and career success (1). Such research focuses itself around a part of the brain called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (I’ll abbreviate to aMCC for the remainder of this blog). Located deep in the brain, the aMCC is associated with effort, persistence, pain tolerance and decision-making under stress. It detects challenge and conflict, and drives action despite discomfort.

 

Consider this an important survival mechanism. The recent story of a thirteen-year old boy that swam four kilometres to then run another two kilometres to save his family highlights this. If he’d been hooked up to a brain MRI throughout this ordeal, I daresay his aMCC would’ve been lit up (plus he now likely has an upgraded sense of what he is capable of)! If we stopped every time things got tough, I imagine our hunter gatherer ancestors would not have survived long enough to pass their genes on to the next generation.

Neuroplasticity and a brain that changes

Through the joys of neuroplasticity and a brain that responds to the world around us, the aMCC can be strengthened and made bigger by ‘doing hard things’. The real world impacts of this are plentiful, including:

• Improved mental toughness
  • the ability to keep going when things get uncomfortable.
• Discipline and consistency
  • following through on goals, whether it be fitness or work-related, or developing new health-supporting habits.
• Emotional resilience
  • greater handling of and tolerance to stress, setbacks and uncertainty.
• Performance
  • athletes can develop the skill of ‘stepping into the pain cave’ to fortify their resilience and willingness to push themselves to their limit on game day;
  • service personnel such as firefighters strengthen their aMCC’s by training their craft in highly dangerous practice scenarios, helping to make the real deal go to plan.

 

The effort paradox

By doing the things we don’t want to do, our ability to navigate life’s challenges can improve.

If we always avoid discomfort to seek short-term relief, we can set ourselves up for long-term fragility. What’s comfortable now, becomes uncomfortable later (3). Read that once again – what’s comfortable now, becomes uncomfortable later. Consider how this can relate to any facet of life – health and well-being, relationships, financial status, personal development and career goals.

If we confront discomfort and choose the difficult path, our mind and body become more adaptable, increasing our resilience and our capabilities. What’s uncomfortable now becomes more comfortable later. This paradox can be summed up well when comparing the comfort loop and the growth loop.

 

 

On a daily basis, this can look like choosing one hard thing. Every day, choose one meaningful, uncomfortable task, and complete it fully. Go for the walk you’ve been putting off. Pick up the phone and have that conversation you’ve been ruminating on. Stop scrolling social media and commit to your work task. Choose the heavier weight at the gym. Roll up your sleeves and go 10% harder on your morning cycle. Set yourself a goal and stick to it. Abstain from alcohol for the next twelve months. Spend another thirty seconds in the ice bath. Say hello to someone at the bus stop. Start that DIY project even if you don’t feel like it. Continue when it gets uncomfortable, embrace the discomfort, and overcome the challenge. Build a new habit. Tasks will feel easier over time, your mental toughness will expand and tolerance to stress improve.

The tangible benefit – say hello to improved quality of life!

 

Conclusion

We all have the potential to enhance perseverance and self-control, moving willpower away from being a rare gift accessible to just a fortunate few, to a common attribute available to those willing to push the boundaries.

Put through the lens of physical activity, exercise is one of the best ways to regularly expand your comfort zone. The process of becoming fitter and stronger can open up new opportunities as your body’s capabilities expand. In no time at all, you’ll begin leaning into the discomfort and out-perform your old self, embracing the challenge that comes with physical and mental growth.

The below post I read last week sums up this blog perfectly well. Online fitness coach Matty Fusaro helps men improve their health and mindset through exercise, and shared his thoughts on ‘doing hard things’:

 

 

So my closing question to you… what’s the one hard thing you’ll do today?

Yours in exercise,

Luke

 

References

1. Shenhav, A., Musslick, S., Lieder, F., Kool, W., Griffiths, T. L., Cohen, J. D., & Botvinick, M. M. (2020). The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals. Neuron, 106(5), 753–770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.027
2. Magness, S. (2022). Do hard things: Why we get resilience wrong and the surprising science of real toughness. HarperOne.
3. Olson, J. (2013). The slight edge: Turning simple disciplines into massive success and happiness. Greenleaf Book Group Press.
4. Easter, M. (2021). The comfort crisis: Embrace discomfort to reclaim your wild, happy, healthy self. Harmony/Rodale.