What’s your go-to strategy when things get uncomfortable or difficult?

When moments get hard, our brains can get pretty creative with excuses. We might convince ourselves that we’ve done enough or let the fear of failure creep in, thinking, “Better to stop now; we’ll probably mess it up anyway.” Comparing ourselves to others is also unproductive, and sometimes we pretend the task isn’t important or doubt our abilities by telling ourselves we’re just not cut out for it. Procrastination and the blame game also have a solid way of stopping us in our tracks. We might crave immediate gratification or feel overwhelmed, leading us to self-sabotage by choosing comfort. You know, “I’ll just take a break and get back to it later.”

The mind is a master of convincing us to give up, but recognising these tricks can help us push through and achieve greatness! But, we can all do hard things. If you want to achieve something, you shouldn’t let your mind stop you! Sometimes you might not even hear its whispers, but your body stops and next thing you’re making banana bread and a pizza is in the oven (and it’s only 11am!) Wait, is that just my secret way of procrastibaking?!

We need to train our minds, we need to learn to hear the whispers and not engage. They’re not the boss of us! We can do this by embracing daily doses of discomfort (or creating healthier habits and ways to stay focussed). We train our bodies at the gym, our mind is also a muscle, it needs training!

Embracing Discomfort Through Productive Struggles

As a teacher, one of my go-to lessons was designed to be a productive struggle, a daily dose of healthy discomfort for the kids. Initially, most students hated these lessons, they weren’t at school to learn, they just wanted ticks in their book and to play with their friends at recess and lunch time. However, I’ve never seen them so happy and proud when they finally solved a problem. This is why I got into teaching — not to save kids or provide all the answers (impossible task), but to help them become lifelong learners. Seeing students push their boundaries, hide their answers from friends, and collaborate in new ways created a small-scale reflection of the real world.

Life isn’t served to us on a silver platter. It throws challenges our way in unpredictable ways, and it’s up to us to navigate these complexities.

Understanding Productive Struggles

Productive struggles refer to the process where we tackle increasingly difficult problems, sharpening our critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They involve giving problems that students can solve with their existing skills but making them think differently to find the answer. This encourages a deeper understanding, resilience, and the valuable experience of learning from mistakes.

A Basic Example of a Mental Productive Struggle, I’d Put to Students in a Maths Lesson

“I am a farmer with cows and chickens on my farm.

When I look out at the farm, I can count twenty heads and sixty-six legs.

How many chickens do I have? How many cows do I have?”

The numbers in this problem would be adjusted depending on the ages of the children I was teaching. It was always interesting to see how many ‘confident’ kids would rush up to me with an answer of “eighty-six” without fully reading the question. They saw two numbers and jumped to a conclusion, missing the actual problem. I’d tell them they needed to read the question more carefully and that their answer was incorrect. Yes, I would tell them they were wrong, because that’s a part of learning.

Often, the confident kids would be wrong several times before they sat down and really thought about the problem. At least they had the courage to be wrong. Some would give up, some wouldn’t even try (or would try to get me to do it for them — learnt behaviour), others would engage in deep thought. I only ever accepted an answer if students could show me their thinking in their books. I loved seeing the different methods they used to work out the solution.

At the end of the lesson, I would have certain students, each with a different approach, share their answers with the class and explain their thought processes on the board. There is never just one way to solve a problem, and that’s what makes learning — and life — so beautiful.

Why Adults Need to Embrace Productive Struggle

Just as schools use productive struggle to help students grow, adults can reap huge benefits from this approach too. Tackling challenges in our professional and personal lives isn’t just about overcoming obstacles — it’s about massive growth and leveling up our problem-solving skills.

Life can be uncomfortable, unpredictable, and downright messy. Change happens, shit hits the fan, and there’s a lot that’s just out of our control. That’s life — throwing curveballs when we least expect them! Embracing productive struggles help us roll with the punches and come out stronger on the other side.

How To Embrace Productive Struggles as an Adult

• Seek Challenges: Actively pursue opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone, whether in work, hobbies, or personal projects. Whether it’s climbing a mountain, painting a masterpiece, crocheting a beanie, or learning to cook Thai food, embracing new challenges can be rewarding. Remember, we are allowed to fail — it’s all part of the First Attempt In Learning (FAIL). Growth comes from trying new things, learning from failures, and continuing to push our boundaries.

• Reflect on Mistakes: View mistakes as valuable learning experiences. Reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. To achieve different outcomes, try different approaches. Or.. stay insane!

Here’s Some Examples….

Engaging in physical challenges mirror the process of a productive struggle. Activities like intense workouts, hiking to the top of a mountain, or learning a new sport push our physical limits and build endurance. The ‘discomfort’ we feel as our bodies ache and we get short of breath, teaches resilience, improves overall health, and provides a sense of accomplishment.

• Take up hiking, learn to surf or swim, practice yoga, or learn martial arts. Don’t give up when it gets hard, that’s where the magic happens!

Mental ‘struggles’ or ‘discomforts’ enhance cognitive development by promoting neuroplasticity, this is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections, similar to building mental muscle. Embracing cognitive (mental) challenges lead to improved mental flexibility and growth.

• Solve hard puzzles, learn a new language, or master a challenging subject. See the struggles as opportunities rather than obstacles!

Overcoming these challenges boost our self-esteem and helps manage stress and anxiety. Who doesn’t want to foster a sense of accomplishment and personal growth?!

What’s the Point of Adding Daily Doses of Discomfort in to Your Life?

Well, maybe next time something doesn’t go to plan, you’ll cope with it better than last time … baby steps, but we’ve all got to start walking some day.