The Comfort Crisis Buchzusammenfassung - das Wichtigste aus The Comfort Crisis

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Zusammenfassung von The Comfort Crisis

Name: The Comfort Crisis
Rating: 4.5 (213 reviews)
Author: Michael Easter

Michael Easter

Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self

4.5 (213 Bewertungen)

20 Min.

Themen

Mentale Gesundheit Pflanzen & Bäume Gesundes Leben Selbsthilfe Zufriedenheit Erfülltes Leben Sport Selbstfürsorge

Inhaltsübersicht

The Comfort Crisis
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Kernaussage 1 von 7

What’s in it for me? Get out of your comfort zone, and then keep going.

Are you feeling comfortable? Lying on a comfy couch, or driving in an air-conditioned car? For most of us, modern life is incredibly comfortable, at least compared to how our ancestors lived.

The author decided to get out of his comfort zone, spending a month hunting caribou in the Alaskan wilderness, and reflecting on his own mortality in Bhutan. His conclusion? We can all benefit from exposing ourselves to greater levels of physical and mental discomfort. It might even be the path to true happiness.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

how even just three days in the wilderness can be transformative;
why we should be eating and exercising like our distant ancestors; and
the surprising reason why the people of Bhutan are some of the happiest in the world.

Modern life is comfortable, but it’s not making us happy.

Every morning, the author woke up in his soft, comfortable bed. He drove to work, where he spent the day sitting in an ergonomic office chair. The second he felt bored, he reached for his smartphone. He spent evenings binge-watching TV on a plush couch while snacking on junk food. Even his exercise routine was comfortable – working out in an air-conditioned gym.

In a way, life was good. He’d worked hard and overcome an addiction to alcohol in order to attain such a peaceful, comfortable lifestyle. But one day he asked himself, What would happen if I got rid of all these comforts?

This is the key message: Modern life is comfortable, but it’s not making us happy.

For thousands of years, everyday life was a challenge – a fight for survival. Our distant ancestors spent almost every waking moment on the move, searching for food and shelter. It wasn’t until relatively recently in human history that the average person began to enjoy the comforts we now take for granted, like a steady food supply.

Our lives are undeniably easier now, but comfort doesn’t equal happiness. In fact, it seems that many people are more stressed and depressed than ever. The physical struggles of survival have been replaced by mental challenges, like rising levels of anxiety and occupational burnout. Efforts to numb ourselves with food, alcohol, and screens just increase our sense of dissatisfaction.

Although humans are hardwired to seek comfort, it’s not necessarily good for us. Some anthropologists have speculated that we were actually happier thousands of years ago. Our needs were simpler and easier to satisfy, and we were naturally mindful, living in the moment.

After reflecting on his ultra comfortable life, the author decided it was time to experience discomfort. He set himself the challenge of a month-long hunting trip in the Alaskan wilderness, sleeping in a tent. All the comforts of modern life would be stripped away.

This trip was a transformative experience for him. After just a few days he already felt calmer, fitter, and more in tune with the natural world.

Camping in Arctic Alaska may not be your idea of a vacation. But as you’ll discover in the next blinks, there are many other, simpler ways to transform your life through discomfort.

Physical challenges and new experiences improve our mental well-being.

There’s going for a walk, and then there’s walkabout – a rite of passage for Aboriginal Australians. For up to six months, young men roam the Australian outback, coping with temperatures of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Challenges include the lack of food and shelter and the presence of some of the deadliest snakes in the world.

Many communities across the world have similar rites of passage. By undergoing intense challenges, young people come home with greater levels of physical and mental strength, and a stronger sense of identity.

We can recharge by experiencing solitude and boredom, and spending time in nature.

If he screamed, no one would hear him. If he danced naked, no one would see him. He was completely alone, in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.

The sensation was unnerving but also liberating. In the few hours the author spent alone, he reflected on how rare real solitude has become. We’re almost never alone. Technology allows us to stay in contact constantly. And yet, paradoxically, nearly 50 percent of Americans claim to feel lonely. It’s even been described as a loneliness epidemic.

Distinguish cravings from real hunger, and accept that it’s OK to feel hungry sometimes.

Fad diets aren’t sustainable. Simply put, they don’t work. Only 3 percent of the people who lose weight succeed in keeping it off. Part of the problem is that we’re hopeless at estimating how much we eat. For instance, a 1992 study of overweight people found that participants who thought they were consuming around 1,000 calories were actually consuming double that.

Why is it so hard to eat less? Again, it comes back to discomfort – the pangs of hunger are difficult to ignore.

Thinking about death and impermanence can make us happier, and help us to live more meaningful lives.

The author was feeling pretty good about life. But one day, while listening to a podcast, he heard about the cosmic calendar. This concept turns 14 billion years of existence into a single year. The big bang occurred at midnight on January 1. Earth came into existence in early September. The dinosaurs went extinct on December 30. Humans didn’t make their appearance until December 31, at 11:59 p.m.

When the author heard this, he panicked. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of his own mortality and insignificance. He and his loved ones would soon be dead. It was a deeply uncomfortable realization.

For a happy, healthy life, we need exercise – ideally outdoors, with other people, while carrying weights.

The hardest part of hunting wasn’t killing but carrying. At one point during his Alaska trip, the author had to carry part of the caribou he’d shot. His pack weighed around 100 pounds, and he struggled with his uphill trek. It was the longest, most intense workout of his life.

We think we know what our physical limits are, but we often underestimate ourselves. Studies have shown that exercise-induced fatigue is generally psychological, not physical. Our bodies are capable of so much more.

Challenge your preconceptions and seek out new experiences.

Questioning our habits and beliefs can be uncomfortable, too.

For example, consider the importance of handwashing. Even before COVID-19, most of us were regular, if not obsessive, hand washers. Hygiene equals health – or at least, that’s what we think.

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Worum geht es in The Comfort Crisis?

The Comfort Crisis (2021) offers a cure for the physical and mental health problems of modern-day life. It’s all about getting comfortable with discomfort, which can mean anything from roughing it in the wilderness to contemplating death.

Wer The Comfort Crisis lesen sollte

People feeling disillusioned with modern life
Restless spirits craving an Into the Wild experience
Anyone interested in improving their physical or mental health

Über den Autor

Michael Easter is an award-winning writer and editor at Men’s Health magazine. He teaches journalism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Comfort Crisis is his first book.

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Natur & Umwelt Gesundheit & Ernährung Achtsamkeit & Glück Persönliche Entwicklung

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