Dealing with discomfort

Life is uncomfortable much of the time. Even if we are fortunate enough to have many of our needs met, we may still feel a nagging suspicion or anxiety that our comfortable conditions may change or we might be haunted by some kind of emotional residue of the past.
Harder still, are the conditions of extreme poverty and illness. I know little about the former, but know the latter well.
How do we come to terms with the vicissitudes of life?
In my own experience of physical blindness, disability, and chronic pain, I discovered that no exterior condition or comfort could assuage the intensity of discomfort and pain that I faced.
At some point, I realized it was up to me to confront my pain, to face it, and make peace with it. This is no easy task, but it makes me think about the shared hardship of pandemic we are all facing now. I think we can all acknowledge that we have been forced to adapt to uniquely challenging and even fearful conditions. How do we make the most of our time and come to terms with the suffering we experience?
In my work, I invariably orient clients to the here and now, to the experience of the body.
Why do I do this?
As thinking beings in a modern culture, I often feel that we quite literally live in our heads. We have little awareness of the endless sensations of pleasure and pain that live in the body. Furthermore, we don’t know that the body can anchor us to an experience of stable freedom and inner strength.
It is important for me to guide clients into developing their capacity for self- regulation and self-understanding by beginning to feel. This capacity called interoception grants one the possibility of understanding oneself more deeply: underneath the constant rivers of thoughts and emotions.
Counseling is one means for facing discomfort and such a healing relationship can ease the pain as one opens to their inner journey.