Learning to Stay Present When Life Feels Uncomfortable

There’s a moment in every woman’s journey when she realizes that healing isn’t about feeling good - it’s about getting real.

A client told me recently, “I’m learning to be satisfied with this process. It doesn’t always feel great, but I’m changing my life.”

She was right. Real change rarely feels comfortable. It’s shaky. It’s slow. It’s full of moments that make you question everything. But discomfort isn’t a sign you’re doing it wrong - it’s proof you’re actually doing the work.

When Healing Feels Awkward

In early sobriety, everything feels strange. Your brain is rewiring. Your body is finding its rhythm again. The quiet feels loud. The evenings feel long.

But every awkward, uncertain moment is teaching you something. You’re not supposed to glide through this - you’re supposed to grow through it. One of my favorite sayings, for a reason, is “Grow through what you go through.” 

This client started doing what she called a “done list” - not focusing on what still needed fixing, but noticing what had already shifted.

She told me, “Even if today feels uncomfortable, tomorrow feels comfortable because I’ll wake up cheery, clear, and proud.” Sometimes - often times - growth feels uncomfortable while it’s happening.

But sooner or later we get to the point where we experience the gains of that discomfort  - and there’s no way to reach those gains without doing the work that gets us there. 

That’s it. That’s the shift.

Healing isn’t about constant progress - it’s about recognizing the tiny wins that build your confidence back piece by piece.

Facing What You Used to Avoid

When she joined my coaching program, this client was used to running - from feelings, from friction, from anything that felt uncertain. She stayed busy. She overworked. She numbed.

But somewhere along the way, she stopped sprinting and started staying.

She’s beginning to face conversations and situations she once avoided - not with panic, but with grounded trust.

Because that’s what healing really looks like:
Not fixing everything overnight.
Not controlling every outcome.
But being able to stand in the middle of something messy and say, “I can handle this.”

When we talked about what’s next, I told her - and I’ll tell you - just because a situation feels uncertain doesn’t mean it will end badly.

Uncertainty doesn’t mean danger. It just means novelty. We get to choose how we respond in these moments of uncertainty - and our power is in making the choice to move towards growth.

Rewriting What Matters

As she reflected on her life before sobriety, she said, “I worked nonstop for years. I thought that was ‘purpose’ - but I see now I wasn’t creating anything that lasted. I wasn’t dealing with what mattered.”

That realization hit hard - because so many of us can relate. We fill our calendars, chase success, and call it a life. But eventually, the noise stops working.

When we strip away the numbing, the busyness, and the striving, what’s left is truth.
And truth, even when it’s heavy, is where peace begins.

Healing isn’t about never feeling uncomfortable. It’s about trusting yourself to stay. It’s about trusting that the process is going to lead us exactly where we’re meant to be. 

Because when you stop running, you finally get to build a life that feels safe, steady, and real.

xx-

Shannon