The comfort zone is a set of habits, self-imposed rules, and beliefs that feels familiar and, well, \u201csafe\u201d. It usually involves actions that make you feel at ease and won\u2019t put you in a situation of high stress or a state of high perceived risk. You\u2019ve probably done, seen, said, ate this particular thing over and over again, which means you know what the probable outcome is going to be, and while low risk usually means no stress, it can also mean low or nonexistent reward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given the low risk – low reward characteristics of the comfort zone, by staying inside of it there is not much incentive for people to venture outside of it. And without much incentive to explore the unknown outside of the beaten track, growth slows down tremendously. You might look back at the last months of your life and realise you\u2019ve not developed new skills or met new people – why is that so? One of the reasons might be that you keep refusing to engage in new experiences. Whether we\u2019re talking about personal, emotional or professional growth, the main ingredient to breaking free from your cosy safe spot is to let yourself feel uncomfortable and awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strive to break out of your everyday routine – challenges to your comfort zone can come from the most menial activities. Walk slower in your neighbourhood, call your friends instead of messaging them, have a chat with a stranger while ordering your mid-morning coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating any form of art, whether it is a painting or poetry, feels strange if you\u2019re not used to it. How many times have we heard someone nervously mutter \u201cI’m no artist\u201d, while sketching something on a piece of paper or the blackboard at school? Having someone, or ourselves, judge something we\u2019ve crafted would make anyone nervous, and that’s good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By focusing on new tasks you\u2019ll be entering the learning zone! As they say \u201cThe expert has failed more times than the amateur has even tried\u201d. Trying new things and developing new skills will help you build confidence and reconnect with parts of yourself you might have ignored up to that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are physically able to, try something that stimulates your body as well as your mind. Starting a new sport or switching up your fitness routine you\u2019ll start to embrace your body\u2019s ability to adapt and overcome short and long term change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If indecisiveness makes you anxious and impulsivity is not your jam, pre plan! Picking a challenge you know will make you uncomfortable gives you the headspace to decide how to do it and why. And if pre-planning is your safe space, do the exact opposite of what I\u2019ve just said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve picked your challenge, try to deconstruct your fears behind said action. Why does talking to strangers scare you? Why does talking to your crush make you so uncomfortable? Why can\u2019t you just stop eating the same dish over and over again – Is there anything else for me on this menu except Sweet and Sour Chicken? If you feel overwhelmed, and believe that you can\u2019t overcome these underlying issues by yourself it might be helpful to talk to a specialist about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big leaps might be scary, keep in mind that change is not linear and failure will always be a possibility. If the fear of failure and setbacks makes you shy away from trying new things, it might be profitable to pick the challenge that is closest to the outer \u201clayer\u201d of your comfort zone and act upon it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we just said, you don\u2019t have to do it all at once: take small steps but try to push yourself in that direction. Don’t let the \u201cmeh I\u2019ll do it, but maybe next time\u201d little voice in your head distract you. It might take 5 minutes or 6 months to achieve your goal, push yourself into following your own deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Look for support around you, and most importantly strive to seek supportive like-minded individuals that will uplift you and provide helpful feedback. I\u2019m not saying to surround yourself with \u201cyes-men\u201d and to cut the criticism out of your life, but pessimism and harsh critics can kill one\u2019s enthusiasm very fast – especially early in the learning stage when you might be feeling very exposed. Try to find someone that might inspire you to go the extra mile, whether it’s online or in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honesty and self-reflection are tremendous tools for personal growth. Honest conversations with yourself or with people in your social circle will always make you somewhat uncomfortable, sharing private information, thoughts, dreams, and fears make us feel judged, yet might provide us the new perspective we need to deepen our relationship with ourselves or others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is nothing inherently bad about being and making the conscious decision to stay in your comfort zone. Psychologist Abraham Maslow once wrote that \u201cyou will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.\u201d
The choice is yours, but if you feel unhappy with the stage you\u2019re finding yourself in then maybe challenging yourself, and even failure, might be better than slacking on the couch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There is nothing inherently bad about being and making the conscious decision to stay in your comfort zone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":3038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crosspost_to_1":false,"_crosspost_to_2":false,"_crosspost_to_3":false,"_crosspost_to_4":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-goals"],"acf":{"reading_time":"3 min read","sources":""},"yoast_head":"\n