Hard and Soft:
Hollywood is full of characters who are tough when they need to be and soft and sensitive when the time calls for it. There is an ideal to being tough in body and mind, as well as emotionally sensitive and well-adjusted.
As we grind away at work, much of the focus on preventing burnout is on the softer side. Much emphasis is on reducing anxiety, finding rest, and “balance” in life.
After years of learning about rest, an exciting trend has caught my attention. I call it “getting hard.” that is the practice of intentionally submitting to pain to improve physical and mental health.
The scientific name is Hormesis, also known as stress inoculation protocol*. The idea is that a certain amount of a stressor (toxin, temperature, etc.) in the right quantities provides benefit.
Types of popular intentional stressors: physical exercise, ice baths, sauna, fasting, and breath work (ex. Wim Hof method).
Hormetic curve graph: credit Rogue Fitness
Naturally, we avoid painful and uncomfortable experiences. However, like the exercise we often avoid, we often feel better after training. We also know we will be healthier if we exercise often. With exercise, we can appreciate the benefits to our muscles, mind, hormones, metabolic functioning, and immune system. Many of the above hormesis methods claim benefits in those same areas.
The thing about “getting hard” is it often improves our ability to “get soft” (i.e., relaxing, resting, and finding emotional balance.)
*Stress inoculation training is also the name of a specific type of therapy often used to treat PTSD.
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