Is our addiction to comfort slowly killing us?

Why being hungry, cold, hot, and sweaty may save your life…

Many of us think that chasing pleasure and comfort will make us happy. Research has pointed to the fact that from a neurochemical point of view, nothing could be further from the truth. 

What if I told you suffering, temporary struggle, and pushing yourself while eliminating excuses and the whining of your ego is actually the key to health?

Health is not about keeping yourself safe from discomfort, it's not hiding from pathogens and stress, sanitizing and climate controlling our lives.   Health is about appreciating where we evolved from and embracing the very things we have evolved with to make us who we are, the things that when dosed accordingly make us infinitely stronger. 

Cold stress teaches our body how to self-regulate, reduces inflammation, and gives us a super dose of dopamine which I have personally found to be incredibly effective at treating major depression.

Heat turns on the production of a special class of proteins that help to prevent cancer and neurodegenerative disease while also encouraging the production of dynorphin a powerful pain-relieving and feel-good natural opioid. Strong UV light and exercising outdoors boost the naturally antidepressant compound beta-endorphin and serotonin while stimulating POMC neurons to make powerful peptides and melanin to promote brain health and make us more resilient to the sun the next time we are exposed.

Fasting powerfully activates anti-aging genes and gives us a burst of energy in the form of ketones and adrenalin (designed to help us find food by fueling the brain and body). Exposure to certain viruses in childhood shapes our immune system function and may protect us from chronic disease later in life. In fact, viral infections powerfully shaped our evolution and made us who we are today (infection of a certain virus may have been essential for the development of mammals!)

For most of us living highly domesticated city-based lives, our biggest challenge is not that life is too hard, it's that life is far too physiologically easy. In the absence of challenges our minds struggle, and we find things that are “wrong” and we reach for stimulants, sugar, and Netflix. 

One in 4 people are on antidepressants, we pop paracetamol at the slightest twinge and keep ourselves safe and protected from every possible challenge. 

And it’s slowly killing us. 

We evolved to tolerate pain, hunger, and physiological adversity. When we experience cold, heat stress, and discomfort our evolutionary biology responds to soothe us, we get stronger, and our ability to adapt to the psychological stress that plagues us skyrockets- no meditation necessary.

In our incessant search for comfort and pleasure, we have broken our bodies, gotten fat, depressed, anxious, addicted, and sick. 

We don’t need to build resilience, resilience is ingrained in every single cell of our being; just waiting for us to invite it to the table.  When we get uncomfortable, it shows up naturally. We get stronger, happier, fitter, and our risk of disease plummets.

We coddle ourselves mistaking it for self-love while remaining psychologically tortured.  We do everything we can to escape the internal pain, numb out, run away and hide from any sign or inking of adversity when really through embracing physical adversity, we build not only physical but more importantly psychological muscle.

Working out, cold plunges, hot saunas, and fasting may feel like torture but afterward, we are rewarded with more dopamine, lower levels of inflammation, more energy, and a deep and powerful sense of accomplishment.

Caveats

We do have to realize as with everything; that the dose, does make the poison. Its important to consider our N=1 and starting point when deciding where to lean into a bit of pain.

If you are already stressed, weak, or recovering from illness start slow.

Maybe instead of a cold plunge, dipping your face in ice water is enough.

The key is to pay attention to how you feel afterward: Are you exhausted or energized after your workout? Do you feel invigorated after a cold dip? Listen to your body. Generally adaptive stress should make you feel better not more depleted in the following hours or days.