The UnScripted Mind
Join your host Professional Counselor, Jim Cunningham, as he dives into the complex world of mental wellness. From anxiety and depression to resilience and recovery, "The Unscripted Mind" offers candid conversations and expert insights, encouraging listeners to confront their own journeys while gaining tools and perspectives that promote healing and understanding—one unscripted conversation at a time.
The UnScripted Mind
Lotus Land: Comfort's Covert Cost
In this episode of The Unscripted Mind, licensed professional counselor Jim Cunningham explores the impact of modern comforts on our well-being. With references to studies and literary works, Jim delves into how our pursuit of convenience and ease may be leading to increased anxiety, depression, and a lack of gratitude. He offers five actionable challenges to help viewers re-introduce a bit of discomfort into their lives, thereby rediscovering appreciation and the feeling of being truly alive. Tune in for practical insights and fun suggestions to shake up your routine and boost your mental health.
The goal of The UnScripted Mind Podcast is to give you fresh perspectives, practical insights and tools you can use to give you more choices, self-awareness and control of your feelings, reactions and behaviors.
Imagine this you're lounging on a velvet couch sipping a perfectly brewed latte, surrounded by gadgets that do everything for you but wipe your butt. Life's a dream, right? Well, what if I told you that dream might be quietly sucking the soul out of you? Do we have life too easy and turned ourselves into lotus eaters? And turned ourselves into lotus eaters. We spend so much time chasing comfort, soft beds, instant food, endless streaming, instant gratification. But what if all that ease is secretly making us weaker and more miserable? Stick with me, because we're not just going to complain about it. I've got some fun, quirky ways maybe to shake things up and bring back that spark of gratitude for all the stuff we take for granted. Let's get uncomfortable on this episode of the Unscripted Mind. Welcome to the Unscripted Mind, where our goal is to give you fresh perspectives, practical insights and tools you can use to give you more choices, increase your awareness and have better control of your feelings, reactions and behaviors. I'm Jim Cunningham, I'm a licensed professional counselor, and today we're talking about something that might sound a little counterintuitive. So let me paint a picture for you. Imagine this you roll out of bed. That's basically a cloud. You hit a button for coffee. You order dinner with a swipe while Netflix queues up your next binge.
Jim Cunningham:Life in 2025 is pretty sweet. We're living better than royalty even just from a few centuries ago Indoor plumbing, heat on demand, groceries and food at our fingertips. A 2023 Pew Research study found that 87% of Americans say their quality of life is better than their grandparents, thanks to technology and convenience. And globally, the UN reports extreme poverties dropped from 36% in 1990 to under 8% in 2022. We've engineered struggle almost completely out of existence. We don't appreciate summer because we don't have to endure the harshness of winters anymore. I asked my teenage clients what they want for Christmas and the answers these days is nothing.
Jim Cunningham:Lord Alfred Tennyson nailed it when he wrote the Lotus Eaters. He wrote in the hollow lotus land, to live and lie reclined on the hills like gods together, careless of mankind, surely, surely slumber is more sweet than toil. He describes these sailors who eat magic lotus flowers and just well, check out. No more storms, no more rowing, just blissful apathy. Sound familiar? We've got our own lotus flowers smartphones, doordash, 24-7 streaming, and it's seductive. A 2022 Gallup poll found that 61% of adults in developing nations say they avoid unnecessary effort whenever possible. We're choosing the shore over the ocean.
Jim Cunningham:But here's the dark side. Too much comfort can tank us. Studies like the one from the University of Chicago in 2020 link excessive routine and low challenge to a 15% spike in anxiety and depression over time. Why? Well? No struggle, no growth. We get risk averse, scared to lose our bubble. Meanwhile, we demand our kids and coworkers stretch themselves. But us, we're good. Monotony's magic stability, predictability, turns into a trap when we stop moving. And here's the real rub. We're really good at this comfort game.
Jim Cunningham:Psychologists call it hedonic adaptation. We adapt to the good stuff so fast it stops feeling special. That heated car seat well thrilling for a week, then it's just a seat Well thrilling for a week, then it's just a seat. A 2021 study from the American Psychological Association says 68% of people in high-income countries report feeling numb to everyday luxuries within months of getting them. We're drowning in ease and it's making us forget what good even feels like. And the mental health statistics that have gotten progressively worse since the 1950s back this up Worse.
Jim Cunningham:Without challenge, we stagnate. Why? Well, because overcoming stuff makes us feel alive. It's like we're built for it Turns out. Humans are made to solve problems. We're built to push, not just recline. Now we're wired to adapt and that is a great survival skill.
Jim Cunningham:But it kind of sucks for staying grateful. And it's not just about gratitude when life's too easy we miss out on something else. Challenge and struggle, that gritty feeling of actually earning something. Think about playing a video game on easy mode or playing chess with a first grader. At first it's great, you're crushing it, you're killing it, you're invincible, there's no stress. But after a while it's boring, you stop caring. Life can feel like that too. And when there's no resistance, no stakes, we start drifting. And when there's no resistance, no stakes, we start drifting. We actually start to invent new problems for ourselves.
Jim Cunningham:Staring at our navels, maybe you felt it that vague blah-ness, even when everything's fine. And here's the kicker we take the good stuff for granted Running water, boring, the warm house, whatever. But talk to somebody who's camped out in the woods for a week or been on a deployment and they'll tell you that that first hot shower afterward feels like a miracle. A flushing toilet is great, comfort is awesome, but without contrast it's just background noise. So what do we do Now? I'm not saying we should burn our mattresses and live in the woods and eat bugs. Now I'd like to suggest some smaller, more doable things, maybe even some fun ideas to sprinkle in a little intentional discomfort into our cushy lives, not to suffer, but to wake us up, to make us feel the good stuff again. Up, to make us feel the good stuff again.
Jim Cunningham:Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Lombardo says people who chase new experiences are more creative and resilient up to 25% more per her research. Here's how to test that. Here are five challenges. You can try to mix things up and boost that appreciation. Now, these are low stakes, totally optional and honestly kind of fun to experiment with. Pick one, try it. Journal it, use an app like Daily Habits, if you like. If you struggle with follow-through, though, here's a little trick Go public with it. Tell your families, post your goal on social media. Let everybody know what you're doing. The more the better. Research from the American Society of Training and Development says sharing this information boosts success rates by 65%. So here we go.
Jim Cunningham:First challenge sleep on the floor for one night. I'm completely serious. Ditch the memory foam, plush pillows just for one night. Grab a blanket maybe a yoga mat if you're not that brave and camp out on your living room floor. Why? Because the next night, when you climb back into your bed. It's going to feel like a five-star hotel. You'll be thanking the universe and the springs and the cushions and, on another positive note, I'm sure the dog or cat is going to be happy to keep you company while you're on the floor.
Jim Cunningham:The second challenge is to fast for 24 hours. Now hear me out, I know this is. We hear a lot about intermittent fasting these days, but this isn't about the dieting aspect of it, although there's a lot of benefits to that. I suggest just pick a day, skip the snacks, go 24 hours with just water. It's safe for most people. But if you're concerned, check with your doctor just to be sure. What's the point? Well, after the first bite after your fast, whether it's a juicy apple or a greasy burger, it's going to taste like the best thing you've ever eaten. And suddenly food isn't just fuel, it's a celebration, it's appreciated.
Jim Cunningham:Challenge three go tech free for a day. No phone, no laptop, no TV, no music, just you and the real world for 24 hours. It sounds terrifying, I know, but it's wild how much you'll notice without a screen and all the noise, the sound of birds, the smell of rain. You might realize that you feel better, less anxious, less depressed, without all of the mindless doom scrolling. It's like hitting the reset button on your brain. Challenge four take a cold shower, or a cold bath if you prefer. Turn the knob all the way over to cold and brace yourself for three minutes. It's brutal, it's invigorating, and when you step out you'll feel like a superhero, like you've done something, plus the next warm shower pure bliss and appreciation for the little things.
Jim Cunningham:Challenge five do something hard for no reason. If you're familiar with David Goggins, he says things like do something every day that sucks. This one's flexible. Pick something pointless but tough. Carry your groceries home without a car. Write a letter by hand instead of texting. Heck, chop wood. If you've got a fireplace, do something that makes you sweat. The goal isn't about the task, it's about the feeling. Afterwards You'll sit down sweaty and proud. You'll think I didn't have to do that, but I did. It's a tiny victory that makes the easy stuff even sweeter. So some ideas.
Jim Cunningham:But why bother with any of this? I mean, it's not about masochism, it's about contrast. When you strip away comfort for a bit, you don't just appreciate it more, you feel more human. There is this buzz, this aliveness that comes from pushing yourself, even in small ways. Honestly, most of us have no idea what we're truly capable of until we try and the gratitude it sneaks up on you. Suddenly you're thankful for a fridge full of food or a roof that doesn't leak. And there's science behind this too. We're not just making this up, researchers like Dr Robert Emmons. He's a gratitude guy and he says that intentionally. Noticing what we have, especially after going without, rewires our brain to be happier. It's like a complete gratitude hack and, honestly, it's just more fun than coasting through life on autopilot.
Jim Cunningham:So how do we wrap this up? Life is honestly, too easy sometimes, in fact most of the time these days, and that's a luxury problem worth solving. Not by making everything hard, but by tossing in a little bit of spice, some fun challenges to remind us how good we've actually got it. So here's your homework. Pick one of these five ideas Sleep on the floor for one night. Go 24 hours without eating, whatever calls to you. Try it this week. Let me know how it goes.
Jim Cunningham:Drop a comment below. I'd love to hear what you think and how it worked for you. Did you love it, did you hate it, or did you discover you're secretly a survivalist? Find new ways to challenge yourself, whether it's something from this list or something else that you just want to do on your own, and I think you'll find that the challenge is more than worth it. Thanks for checking us out on the unscripted mind today. If you found this episode helpful, share it with somebody who might need it Also. Please subscribe, follow us, leave a review and if you have any questions or topics you'd like us to cover, please include that also. Until next time, remember life doesn't come with a script, so embrace the unexpected, cherish the unplanned, always stay curious and have an amazing day. We'll see you next time on the Unscripted Mind.
