4 tweets · May 2019 · 30 likes · 3 retweets · read on Twitter
"pain" and "harm" are different words, but both get implied by the word "hurt", so when I use the word "hurt" I make a point of being clear internally what I'm actually talking about. (this was one of my main takeaways from reading @julien's book Flinch years ago)
It doesn't have as clear of a linguistic distinction, but the same confusion manifests with less-extreme concepts, creating a fusion between "this is uncomfortable" and "I want to stop". Trying taking cold showers. Work out til you collapse. Not b/c it's virtuous, but as play!
What is this discomfort like?🤔 What happens in my mind as I strain to do 1 more pushup?💪 Can I relax my body as I turn on the cold water?🚿 What is this tension protecting me from? Am I safe? How do I know? What does broccoli actually really taste like?🥦 So much to notice!
You get a whole new palette of options when discomfort becomes just another flavor rather than intrinsically and necessarily aversive.