Our world has never been more convenient and comfortable. With just a few taps of our fingers, we can order food to our door, access endless entertainment options, and keep our climate at a steady 72 degrees. We don't have to put in much effort, much less face any risk or challenge, in order to sustain our daily lives.
In some ways, this quantum leap in humanity's comfort level is a great boon. But in other ways, it's absolutely killing our minds, bodies, and spirit.
My guest says it's time to reclaim the currently-hard-to-come-by but truly essential benefits of discomfort. His name is Michael Easter, and he's a writer, editor, and professor, and the author of The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self. Michael first shares how his experience with getting sober helped him discover the life-changing potential of doing hard things, before digging into what fleeing from discomfort is doing to our mental and physical health. We then discuss the Japanese idea of misogis, which involves taking on an epic outdoor challenge, and why Michael decided to do a misogi in which he participated in a month-long caribou hunt in the backcountry of Alaska. Michael shares what he learned from the various challenges he encountered during his misogi — including intense hunger, boredom, solitude, and physical exertion — as well as what research can teach all of us about why we need to incorporate these same kinds of discomforts into our everyday lives.
Resources Related to the Episode#423: How to Survive a Grid-Down Disaster
#422: Men & Manners — Tipping, Emojis, and Much More
#421: Why You Need a Philosophical Survival Kit
#420: What Makes Your Phone So Addictive & How to Take Back Your Life
#419: American Honor — Creating the Nation's Ideals During the Revolution
#418: How to Get Unstuck
#417: Expect Great Things — The Mystical Life of Henry David Thoreau
#416: The Self-Driven Child
#415: Forging Mental Strength Through Physical Strength
#414: Theodore Roosevelt, Writer and Reader
#413: Make Today Matter
#412: The Power of Conspiracy and Secrets
#411: Why Emotions Are Better Than Willpower in Achieving Your Goals
#410: The Male Brain
#409: The Epic Story of Sport Hunting in America
#408: The Incredible Forgotten Story of WWII's Ed Dyess
#407: How to Overcome Nice Guy Syndrome
#406: Why You Need to Embrace Small Talk
#405: The Power of Team Captains
#404: What Men Can Learn From Wolves
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free