I dread Parkrun. The free, timed 5k run on a Saturday morning is a sociable, fun start to the weekend for some. They don’t worry about it. They amble along, chatting or relish being super speedy, looking forward to leaving most people for dust. Not me. I lie in bed at 7am, thinking should I do it or should I just go out and have my own little run on my own, no pressure. Parkrun makes me stressed! It reminds me that I am getting on, that I’m not as fast as I used to be (which wasn’t that fast). And I’m competitive. As soon as the claxon sounds, I find myself pushed along in a wave of people. I identify runners to try and keep up with, or a pacer to stick like glue to. I inevitably set off too fast and quickly feel physically uncomfortable, trying to just hold the speed or at least to fade gradually as we head towards the end. Parkrun operates a barcode system, so that your result and placing can be recorded with your name, gender and age. I don’t bring my barcode – too much pressure. I don’t want to have my result recorded with my name. I am happiest being an Unknown and my time being a secret between me and my sports watch.
I dread Parkrun. But I know it’s good for me. It’s a mental and physical challenge. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I am challenged physically, since I run faster than I would on my own. I am challenged emotionally, since it creates stress which has to do with the way I see myself, growing older, how I perceive myself and how others perceive me. We should challenge ourselves in this way. The more we do things that make us feel uncomfortable, the better we get at managing adversity. We realise that we can do more than we thought we could. We learn to manage our nerves. What’s more, we get to feel great after – to have a real sense of achievement at having pushed through our discomfort. It can be something small like Parkrun, or an amazing, scary adventure like climbing the O2 or doing a charity parachute jump. It might be a non-physical challenge like going speed-dating, doing public speaking or setting up a small business.

As adults, we can lose our taste for deliberately making ourselves uncomfortable. Life is difficult enough. But there are so many benefits to getting comfortable with discomfort. And, if our children see us challenging ourselves, putting ourselves outside our comfort zone, they will be very proud and it may help them see the world as a slightly less scary place, one where fun can be had, and risks can be taken.

So, this is what I tell myself as I drag my body out of bed ready for Parkrun, knowing that afterwards I’ll feel really good, my work done, ready to face the rest of the weekend with courage and confidence!

Further reading: Ben Aldridge - How to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable: 43 Weird & Wonderful Ways to Build a Strong Resilient Mindset 2020, Watkins Publishing.

#comfortablebeinguncomfortable
#parenting
#mindset
#growthmindset