The term “comfort zone” is perceived by many people unambiguously: it’s the conditions of life in which a person feels easy and comfortable. Nothing unforeseen happens there, only the skills and abilities that the individual already has are required, and everything flows according to a once and for all tried-and-true scenario. It’s a little boring, but it’s reliable. So, psychologists’ appeals to leave the lovingly constructed island of peace for the sake of some not quite understandable “far away” are perceived with doubt. Why plan to go out of your comfort zone, if it’s native, by and large, all right?
Problem Solving
First, let’s dispel the most common myth: the proverbial comfort zone does not guarantee an excellent state of mind and absence of depression. With equal success the same term can be applied to the circumstances in which a person something oppresses and doesn’t suit, but in general, the situation is so stable and understandable that the changes are perceived as something frightening.
For example, you begin to suspect your autocratic boss of being closely related to the Romanian vampires, judging by the liters of blood you drank, but a good salary and good career prospects make you obediently tolerate all his antics. You can effectively slam the door and go in search of a better place, but this will have to send their CVs to other companies! You’d have to go to scary interviews! Prove my worth as an expert! What if it doesn’t work out? What if the next place is worse? Many people find life in the comfort zone much easier and nicer than the inevitable fuss that follows after the departure with an as yet unknown result. It’s hard, humiliating, the eternal stress on nerves and health, but it’s reliable.
This is why so many people, even when they feel frankly unhappy, do not dare to change. Out there, outside our personal comfort zone, a twilight void reigns, woven of our fears, the lightning of “what if?” and “what if?” flashes, and the specter of total failure looms on the horizon. But if you do not step into it, if you do not breathe in the air of freedom, defying your phobias, you will not be able to change the current situation. Changes, especially positive ones, rarely come into our lives by themselves.
So what to do? Everyone decides for himself to the best of his ability and courage. If fears of leaving your comfort zone seem to you less evil than the current troubles, gather your willpower in your fist and make a plan of action. If the risks seem unreasonable, build your life in the circumstances that are given.
Development and Growth
People need periods of stagnation sometimes. They are perfect for recovering from a desperate rush, resting in peace, and enjoying the benefits we have achieved. When life is flowing smoothly and measured, you can be sure that, waking up tomorrow, you will do this and that, and not be forced to bounce hare between problems in all directions.
However, if such a period drags on, instead of the desired rest we get stagnation. When life goes on between “Eat, sleep, sleep, eat,” development is quickly replaced by degradation and decay of spirit, so that even the most splendid conditions cease to bring satisfaction.
Overcoming obstacles of all kinds is not only necessary to move forward, we need it not to roll backward. Imagine that you have set a goal to get a beautiful body. You picked up the right exercises, made a program of activities and strenuously started training. At first, it seems that everything went fine, but then the muscles stopped growing, and the fat – to go away from the sides. Why? Simple, your body got used to the new workload. Training, which at first squeezed out of you seven sweats, now became for him a kind of comfort zone: the weight is mastered, the effort has become a habit, the difficulty has become simple. To move on, review the set of exercises and intensity of exercise, in other words – to make your body again act outside of its comfort zone.
Why are there training courses, conferences on exchange of experience, materials for self-education? So that a person, no matter how good a specialist he is, can continuously improve himself and grow. A Nobel Prize winner won’t keep his intellect as brilliant for long if he doesn’t constantly load his brain with new tasks. A winner of the Olympics will quickly lose his athleticism by moving from the simulator to the couch. The promising smart and beautiful girl will turn into a housewife in a matter of months, and she will be absorbed in laundry and cooking. Even out of the comfort zone you need to get out from time to time, so as not to turn into a lying stone.
So what to do? If you do not want to stagnate, gradually slipping into regression, you have to overcome the fear of leaving your comfort zone and disrupting your usual way of life. It’s unnecessary to strive for radical changes, affecting all areas of it! But from time to time it is necessary to try something new, to set challenging goals, to overcome obstacles to become better and more perfect.
Making Dreams Come True
You cannot count how many great discoveries and inventions have been made because someone broke the mold and did what no one expected him to do. While someone was content with the idea of a head above which he could not jump, these people persevered. And even after they solved the problem, they continued to strive for new, more ambitious goals, regardless of the risks and the height of the barriers put in front of them.
Some, having received a slap in the face at the beginning of life, do not understand why they should leave their comfort zone, where everything is so complicated and uncertain. Such people prefer to see their dreams only in their imagination, without making an attempt to achieve them. They aren’t ready to risk their existing well-being for something more, be it placing a bet Canada, parachuting, or looking for a new job.
Others simply do not believe that they can achieve anything. They cling to their attitude and only sigh sadly when they are persuaded otherwise.
Others, determined to break free from everyday life, take on the task without a push and pull, but with great enthusiasm.
So what to do? To make the right exit where many are afraid to stick their noses, you must find the courage in your soul, faith in yourself, willingness to take responsibility for their decisions, and the ability to combine the ardent heart with a sober calculation. It is no coincidence that one of the most successful and safest ways to get out of the comfort zone is the way of small steps, when a grand goal is broken down into smaller ones and a consistent plan to achieve each of them is developed.
Expanding Your Social Circle
This item is rarely an end in itself to get out of your comfort zone; rather, it serves as a nice bonus. But what a bonus! Even if you already have a cozy circle of friends, acquaintances, who fully meet your communication needs, believe me: the world is still full of interesting people about whom you know nothing yet. By limiting your contacts, you deprive yourself of the opportunity to meet them and enrich your world.
Of course, before that happens, there will be many gray and boring characters on your path, but it is all the more satisfying to meet someone exceptional! Plus, in addition to fun, new acquaintances can also bring practical benefits. Who knows who Fortune will put in your way! Maybe the love of your life or a sponsor for future business projects? To give yourself a chance to meet them, get out of your comfort zone.
Vivid Impressions
Is it necessary to get out of the comfort zone, if a person has reached the planned peaks in his career, found his way to develop in all necessary directions without forays “into twilight territory” and categorically does not want to make new friends? It is up to him, of course. However, psychologists have noticed a strange tendency: a long time living in complete contentment and peace, people inevitably begin to mope.
We need new impressions and vivid emotions, and they can not get, doing the usual things. We have to look for ways to entertain the brain that has been satiated with a comfortable existence. In the worst case, pernicious addictions occur, which can be indulged in a habitual world, in the best case – unusual hobbies and travels, which can be found only outside of it.
So what to do? What does it mean to get out of your comfort zone for impressions? It’s up to you to decide. Someone will skydive and dive into the ocean depths in a shark cage to personally touch the great white by the fin. And someone will buy a ticket to the last blockbuster of the year and take a salty popcorn instead of sweet.