“I think I was trained to be uncomfortable unintentionally.”
Theresa’s words open the door to a conversation about how we cope with discomfort, avoid pain, and sometimes stay stuck without realizing we had a choice. This episode explores the inner shifts that happen when we stop avoiding and start choosing the kind of pain that leads to healing.
We talk about:
→ Why we often stay in discomfort instead of facing pain
→ The role of avoidance, self-worth, and survival in relationships
→ How choosing pain can be a gateway to healing and transformation
There are two powerful ways to keep going after this episode—one for your relationships, and one for your inner child.
Start with our free mini-course
If you’ve ever struggled with boundaries, felt misunderstood, or wished your relationships felt more grounded and honest, our 5 Foundations for Healthier Relationships mini-course is for you. It’s free, it’s gentle, and it’s packed with the skills we wish we learned earlier.
Follow our new YouTube series
Conversations We Needed With Our Parents Growing Up is live now on YouTube. These short, heartfelt episodes explore the questions we all carry—about love, safety, identity, and being truly seen.
✨ Subscribe, comment, or share with someone who’s doing the work too. We’re so grateful you’re here.
Episode Links & Resources
→ Exploration & Discovery Journal
Connect with My Inner Knowing!
NEW! Reconnecting with Your Inner Child Meditation – Listen on YouTube
Download the 5 Foundations for Healthier Relationships FREE Mini-Course
Take the Relationship Assessment
Join us in the 10 Essential Skills to Build Stronger and Healthier Relationships course
Watch the episode on YouTube
My Inner Knowing Full episode link
My Inner Knowing website
My Inner Knowing Facebook
My Inner Knowing Instagram
My Inner Knowing LinkedIn
Sign up for the My Inner Knowing newsletter and receive a free 30 minute meditation!
Episode Chapters
00:00 Feeling tired before recording
02:04 The mini course and relationship skills
03:01 “I’d rather be in pain than uncomfortable”
06:53 Emotional discomfort in relationships
11:09 Chronic pain vs. temporary pain
14:13 Avoidance through substances
23:37 The courage to choose
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com