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Hi! I'm Dr. Dominika Zarzeczny, ND

Why Comfort Is Costing Us And Why The Future Feels Out of Reach

Published 25 days ago • 2 min read

Why Comfort Is Costing Us

We are living in a comfort crisis, where we consistently choose immediate ease and avoidance of discomfort in the present, even when doing so creates bigger problems or suffering in the future. It’s the idea that by prioritizing comfort now, we trade away long-term ease, health, growth, and vitality.

Again and again, we choose short-term ease - scrolling instead of resting, snacking instead of nourishing, numbing instead of feeling. These choices give relief now but steal from our future health and vitality.

It doesn't help that our brains are wired to avoid discomfort wherever possible. But there's more to it than just our reptilian brain taking over.

I believe we often choose comfort not because we are weak, but because we don’t know where we want to go.

Without a clear vision of who we want to become or what we truly want in life - a defined “future self" - it’s hard to sacrifice present comfort for long-term benefit.

How do we want to see ourselves in the future? How do we want to relate to our nourishment, discipline, and sense of purpose? Until we can answer these questions, it’s almost impossible to trade this moment's ease for future growth.

The challenge isn’t just pushing through discomfort; it’s having a clear vision of who we want to become. Every time we stretch, cook a nourishing meal, or move our body, we are practicing small acts of alignment with that future self. But if that self is undefined, discomfort feels pointless, and comfort wins by default.

✨ Reflection: What do you want your future self to feel, think, and do? Begin to imagine it. Begin to name it.

When the Future Feels Out of Reach

There’s the catch to conceptualizing our future self: picturing our future requires a stable sense of self.

The Default Mode Network, the part of the brain that activates when we daydream, reflect, or envision who we might become, depends on that inner foundation. When early life is marked by instability, neglect, or trauma, the foundation cracks. Planning, tolerating discomfort, or even believing we deserve better can feel monumental.

The result? We “try but fail,” defaulting back to comfort. Not from lack of willpower, but from a nervous system stuck in survival, designed to get us through this moment, not to plan for a thriving, joyful future.

This is also why “just try harder” doesn’t work. Healing begins not with more discipline, but with tending to the fractures in selfhood that keep us circling back to comfort.

🌱 A Call Forward: Are you ready to move from surviving the present to creating a future you actually want to live in? This is the work we can explore together - naming your vision, addressing the blocks, and transforming comfort into true care.

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Choose Your Affirmation

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As you reflect on comfort, selfhood, and the future self you’re creating, choose one of these affirmations to carry with you this week. Notice which one resonates most in your body as you read them:

  1. “I can choose growth over comfort, because my future self is worth it.”
  2. “My past may explain how I got here, but it does not define who I become.”
  3. “With each small act of care, I am building the self I long to become.”
  4. “I am safe enough to imagine a future beyond survival.”
  5. “Comfort is no longer my cage—it is my signal to grow.”

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Dr. Dominika Zarzeczny

Naturopathic Doctor

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📧 hello@drdominika.com​
🌐 www.drdominika.com​

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Hi! I'm Dr. Dominika Zarzeczny, ND

First inspired by the work of Dr. Gabor Mate, Dr. Dominika has focused much of her career on helping her patients connect the dots between early adversity and trauma and their impact on lifelong health and well-being. She knows that the reversal of chronic illness involves the nervous system, and so she has dedicated her practice to helping patients master their own nervous system to positively influence their mind and body, behaviours and ultimately health outcomes. Her explanation of disease doesn't pathologize or blame, but is nuanced, humanized and filled with hope. She trained with various psychologists and experts in the field of psychological trauma. She incorporates the principles of neuroscience, attachment theory, mindfulness, Polyvagal Theory and compassionate inquiry in her approach with patients. Combining these with her naturopathic training, she likes to say that she works at the intersection of science and human experience.

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