Facing Discomfort with Courage

by Stephanie Bucklin

Emotional pain doesn’t disappear when we avoid it. In fact, when left unattended, it quietly grows in the background until it demands our attention in louder, more disruptive ways. Avoidance may seem easier in the moment — sidestepping the hard conversation, putting off the painful memory, numbing the ache of loss — but what is suppressed rarely stays silent forever.

The Silent Weight of Unspoken Grief

The pandemic brought with it a collective weight of silenced grief. So many milestones were lost: graduations without ceremony, weddings postponed, loved ones buried without proper goodbyes. Relationships frayed under the pressure of isolation. Careers and businesses collapsed. For many, fear and uncertainty lingered in the air long after restrictions lifted.

But because so much of that grief went unnamed and unprocessed, it remains lodged in our hearts and bodies. Emotional pain does not dissolve through denial — it simply waits, showing up later as anxiety, depression, health struggles, or breakdowns in connection.

As Brené Brown has written, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” To face discomfort with courage is to step into the vulnerability of what is real — even when it shakes us.

A Personal Walk Through Fear

I have walked this path of courage in my own life. When my ex-partner assaulted me, I faced the terrifying decision to walk away with no income and no financial support. Every part of me wanted to stay safe in the familiar, but safety in that form was an illusion. I had to summon the courage to leave — not knowing how I would make it on my own.

What followed was an outpouring of grace. Friends rallied to my side, donating to a GoFundMe and offering support in ways I could not have imagined. Their love carried me through one of the darkest passages of my life.

The moment I returned to collect my things demanded another kind of courage: standing face-to-face with the one who had harmed me, while fear pressed against my ribs. But I did it. Courage, I learned, is not the absence of fear — it is moving forward despite fear.

Micro-Courage: Small Steps Toward Healing

When we imagine courage, we often think of heroic leaps. But most healing begins with micro-courage:

Having one hard conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Journaling a single page about what you’re really feeling.
Completing one neglected task that has been silently weighing on you.

Each small step lightens the load and prevents a bigger collapse. Buddha taught, “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you.” Facing discomfort, even in the smallest ways, is a form of self-conquest — a victory over avoidance that opens the door to peace.

Courage Through Spiritual Eyes

Both Buddha and Jesus point us toward courage as an expression of healing and love.

Buddha reminds us that suffering is not to be denied but understood. In the Four Noble Truths, he teaches that acknowledging suffering is the first step to liberation. To turn toward discomfort with awareness is itself an act of courage.

Jesus offered a similar message in the Gospels: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Courage, in this sense, is trusting that we are not alone in our pain — that divine love and grace meet us even in the darkest valleys.

The Takeaway: Courage Prevents Breakdown

When we face discomfort with courage — whether through small steps or giant leaps — we prevent pain from festering into full-blown crises. As psychologist Carl Jung once said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

Courage is the lamp we carry into that darkness. It doesn’t erase fear, but it transforms how we meet it. In choosing to face discomfort, we step into the healing process and create space for true resilience to emerge.

Invitation: What is one small act of micro-courage you can take today? Write it down. Whether it’s a conversation, a truth you’ve been holding inside, or a task that’s been haunting you, commit to facing it with gentleness and courage. In these small acts, great healing unfolds.

Namaste,

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✨ Take this step for yourself — because even the smallest act of courage can open the door to lasting transformation.

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