🎙️ Podcast Script
Running to Myself
Friction: Why Hard Days Don’t Have to Derail You
Hi friend.
Welcome back to Running to Myself. I’m Trisha Stanton.
Today we are going to start with a word: friction.
What does that mean to you?
For me, friction looks like this…
I’m going along in my day, trying to get things done, and nothing is quite as easy as I want it to be.
Sometimes it’s the task itself.
Like taking care of a speeding ticket… which, let’s be honest, is not something anyone wakes up excited to do.
And sometimes it’s everything around the task.
Like trying to navigate a government website, to figure out how to sign up for a defensive driving course, make sure I’m filling out all the forms just right so I don’t mess anything up and end up paying more in insurance.
We’re talking about real, everyday life here.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing life-altering.
Just… friction. We all experience this at times.
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The day before I sat down to record this, I had one of those days.
You know the kind.
I had intentionally scheduled it that way—stacked with all the things I tend to avoid.
Paperwork. Appointments. Administrative tasks. The kind of things that are necessary… but tedious and time-consuming.
So I wasn’t surprised there was friction.
But I was surprised by how much it drained me.
There was no big crisis.
Nothing went terribly wrong.
But it felt like constant resistance… all day long.
One thing after another.
No break in between.
A couple small mistakes that made things more complicated than they needed to be.
And by late afternoon, I could feel myself unraveling.
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Now here’s what’s interesting.
There was a time in my life where a day like that would have ruined everything.
The whole rest of the day would’ve been gone.
My mood, my energy, my interactions… all of it affected.
Sometimes when I reflect back, I can feel a little embarrassed when I think about how easily I used to get derailed by things like this.
But here’s what’s different now:
I can experience more friction without falling apart than I used to.
And that is a win for me. It matters.
It doesn’t mean I never get frustrated. I absolutely do.
It doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes have a little pity party.
But I’ve grown my capacity for things to be hard.
And because of that… I’m not nearly as bothered by inconvenience as I once was.
Most days, I can roll with it.
And I’m really thankful for that… because it frees me up to still look for the good—even on the hard days.
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So today, I want to give you something really practical.
Because when friction shows up—and it will—
you don’t need to throw in the towel.
You can have a way to walk through it.
Here are 6 things that help me when I feel myself beginning to get stuck in friction:
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1. I name the emotion.
This is always my starting point.
What am I actually feeling?
Am I frustrated?
Overwhelmed?
Embarrassed?
Annoyed?
Angry?
Because when everything just feels like a swirl of “ugh,” it’s really hard to move forward.
But the moment I name it…
I create a little bit of space. I am able to detach from it rather than be consumed by it.
And that space and detachment allow me to see a path forward.
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2. I look for a solution.
Sometimes friction can be reduced. (this is always the best case scenario in my opinion!)
Maybe I missed something.
Maybe there’s an easier way.
Maybe there’s a step I can simplify.
So I pause and ask:
Is there anything here I can fix?
And if there is… I do it, and I move on.
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3. If I can’t fix the friction… I fix my focus.
This one is huge.
Because what our brains love to do is pile everything together.
Not just this task… but every hard thing.
Every inconvenience.
Every frustration.
And suddenly it feels like too much.
So instead, I chunk it down.
Just one step.
Make the one phone call.
Fill out the one form.
Click the next button.
That’s it.
Then I take a breath.
Maybe I take a short break.
And then I do the next step.
I’m not carrying the whole task…
just the piece right in front of me.
And this alone can pull you out of overwhelm.
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4. I keep going.
I don’t quit. This is a big deal for me because it didn’t used to be the case. I’m embarrassed to tell you this, but I used to give up really easily. But not anymore.
Now,
If I’ve already started… I finish.
Because most of the things creating friction in our lives are necessary. Otherwise, we could just eliminate those things.
And putting them off doesn’t make them easier—
it just delays the discomfort.
So I remind myself:
I can do hard things.
I can stay with this.
I can finish what I started.
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5. I ask for help.
This one took me a long time to learn.
There was a time when I thought asking for help meant I had failed.
And I wish I could go back and reclaim all the time I lost trying to figure things out on my own.
Now?
If I’m stuck, I ask.
And it saves me time, energy, and frustration.
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And then there’s one more.
And honestly… this might be the most powerful one.
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6. When I’m done… I let it go.
I didn’t even realize I was doing this until the end of that long, friction-filled day.
But once everything was done…
I felt completely different.
The frustration lifted.
The heaviness was gone.
My energy came back.
And I was able to fully enjoy the rest of my evening with my husband.
Not halfway.
Not distracted.
Not carrying the weight of the day with me.
I was done…
so I left it where it belonged.
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And when I noticed that, it felt like I had uncovered something important.
Because I also knew…
The next day was going to look very similar.
More appointments I wasn’t looking forward to.
More tasks I wished I could avoid.
More friction.
But instead of dreading it…
I found myself thinking:
“I’ll handle it.
And when it’s done… I’ll be done.”
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That’s the shift.
Not eliminating friction from your life…
but increasing your ability to move through it.
And trusting yourself on the other side of it.
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So if you’re in a season right now where things just feel… harder than they should be…
Try this.
Name what you’re feeling.
Look for what can be simplified.
Focus on one step at a time.
Keep going.
Ask for help.
And when it’s done…
Let it go.
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Because friction isn’t the problem.
Getting stuck in it is.
And you don’t have to stay there.
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I’m so glad you’re here.
Until next time, keep running to yourself.
