Remember when a bed was a bed. There were no sleep "systems", belly pillows, memory foam toppers, "European" shams, 1000 thread count, Egyptian cotton, organic sheets and unless your mattress was on the floor, you had a box spring. You probably had a blanket and a bed spread and unless you lived in Zurich, there was no down in sight. No "550 fill power". You slept just fine (I hope). Not any more. You and your bedmate can have separate "sleep numbers" with the SLEEP NUMBERŪ Innovation Series Limited Edition that "embraces you in soothing luxury with layers of support that conform to your body and cradle every curve for sleep that leaves you rested and renewed". Wow. You'd think we'd be sleeping like babies(1).
Everyone wants to be happy and comfortable. But, our Western ways have afforded us comfort in areas we didn't even know we needed it. I can have unlimited comfort (for a fee), so dang it, I deserve it. Aren't the advertisers right? The result: More discomfort. Our range of comfort, I'm afraid, is getting narrower and narrower. Ethan Nichtern(2) gives the example of cars that have "quad comfort zones". You can be comfortable riding shotgun at 69 degrees while your backseat buddy is at 71. Your comfort level is now 69 and now you notice the "discomfort" when you get to 70 or 71 or 72. Instead of having more comfort, we feel more discomfort as the temperature is out of our "range".
I'm not suggesting we run away from comfort. Notice what you like, what feels good. But, expand your comfort, rather than rejecting what is uncomfortable, according to Mr. Nichtern. He goes on to suggest that we want to increase our zone by getting comfortable in a wider (not more narrow) variety of circumstances. The "insight is if you keep trying to run away from pain or find some existence that's pain free, you're going to fail. You are going to make your comfort zone more and more narrow."
Notice areas in your life where you can widen your zone. Maybe this isn't physical comfort, but comfort with your experiences and interactions. Does the internet/text/email/facebook allow you to avoid face-to-face situations. Instead of having a difficult discussion (or any discussion) with a real person, is it now your default to communicate with via text? Does the TV and another Racer 5 allow you an "out" for dealing with uncomfortable situations?
I'm noticing my comfort zone right now. What'll I do? I'm going to put the corn bag in the microwave(3), turn up the heat, put on warm socks, and warm up my tea! Are you comfortable?
(1) According to www.sleepmed.md, 20-40% of all adults have insomnia in the course of any year, 1 out of 3 people have insomnia at some point in their lives, over 70 million Americans suffer from disorders of sleep and wakefulness and of those, 60% have a chronic disorder
(2) Founder of the awesome Interdependence Project (www.theidproject.org). Listen to podcast dated 1/12/11 on The Basics of Working with Your Mind. You can find it on iTunes, of course.
(3) My BBF, we'll call her Barb, makes fabric bags filled corn that you can heat in the microwave. They stay warm forever. Her bags are the only reason I own a microwave!
