Advantages And Exit Techniques
Comfort Zone
Finding the motivation to quit this comfortable spot of life is hard! But the more we are stuck in our safe and comfortable zone, the more opportunities we lose to fully immerse ourselves in the evolution path.
Learning how to get out of your comfort zone requires a strong willpower, motivation and for many of us a change in the mindset. Every step you take to expand your comfort zone leads you to personal growth, and helps you in learning and brings you closer to your success.
Let’s find out what the comfort zone is and why it is hard to leave it.
In addition to the desired definitions, we must also address the necessary steps to break this invisible bubble that we got used to, and enable ourselves to re-discover the world with a new look and find out our hidden abilities.
What Is The Comfort Zone?
Comfort zone is a mental state in which a person feels comfortable because they have not tried any other thing than what is holding them in the comfort zone. Inside the comfort zone, people are usually not involved in new or challenging experiences. They only participate in activities that are familiar and that make them feel “in control” of their environment, emotions, limits and talents. Usually, people stay in their comfort zone to avoid feeling unable, unevaluable or come up with the anxiety or stress and pain of an unfamiliar thing. As for most of us humans, change is always scary and anything outside the comfort zone causes uncertainty, and uncertainty makes us feel anxious.
Humans are naturally designed to avoid these feelings. This makes us reluctant to leave our safe zone. But as convenient as it sounds, this safe bubble prevents people from personal growth and doing the things they want but don’t have the courage to do, in other words comfort zone is where they stop changing, thinking about other possibilities or learning new skills. For example, staying in an unfulfilling job for many years will make you feel tired and indifferent. However, this job is the area where you have stopped, and by stopping you have prevented yourself from change and growth, so it has become your comfort zone. The reason we call it the comfort zone is because, you know you are capable of more, you do have the potential, there is something at the background of your mind that keeps telling you this, but stepping out and challenging your boundaries scares you, and prohibits you from taking action with so many reasons that you know are just excuses for you to take the action, because taking action means embracing change and change and new things involve uncertainty.
Why Is It Hard To Leave The Comfort Zone?
Finding the motivation to leave the comfort zone is not easy. Here are some reasons why you may be hesitant to take the first step.
Reasons that make leaving the comfort zone difficult can be:
1. Fear And Uncertainty
In your comfort zone, everything is predictable, which makes you feel safe. For example, you know exactly what to expect when you walk a route to work every day. When you think about leaving or expanding your comfort zone, you are faced with uncertainty. And according to today’s psychology, uncertainty equals danger, which causes you to fear. Therefore, even when you know that you have exceeded your comfort zone, fear stops you from moving forward. For example, you may hesitate to pursue a different career path due to fear of failure.
2. The Temptation Of Comfort
Even if we want to grow, the pull of the comfort zone is strong. Since it is safe and easy, it is natural that people want to stay there. However, staying there does not mean never moving forward and growing. We often forget the danger of procrastination, getting used to old ways of thinking and even old habits that hold us back and most importantly we close our eyes when we don’t pay close attention when it comes to not taking risks in life. In other words, when you risk losing the life you had, you will see the potential to of the life you can have by taking the risk of becoming the master of your own destiny.
3. A Fixed Mindset
When you have a fixed mindset, you convince yourself that you don’t have the skills to do or do something. This makes you less motivated to look for opportunities to grow and learn new skills. Instead, you use your skills as an excuse to stay in your comfort zone and say things like, “I can’t do that,” or “That’s not what I’m good at.” This mindset keeps you in your comfort zone as a way to avoid challenges and difficulties.
4. Fixed Habits
Successful behavior change is difficult because our behavior is normal. The more we repeat certain behaviors, the more we get stuck in fixed patterns. For example, if you’ve been following an irregular sleep schedule for years, waking up at 6 a.m. every day will be difficult at first. Sustainable behavior change begins with a strong desire to change.
How To Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone?
In 1908, an experiment conducted by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson found an interesting relationship between performance and anxiety. They found that rats with a mild electric shock were more motivated to complete the maze. However, the mice hid in fear when the shocks became too strong! According to the Yerkes-Dodson experiment, the optimal level of stress or anxiety increases performance, but only up to a certain point.
Too much pressure has the opposite effect and may causes a person to panic or loose hope.
Trying to jump too much out of the comfort zone can have the same effect. Doing activities that increase your anxiety too much can push you even further back into your comfort zone. So, you have to have clarity and act accordingly. The best way to leave your comfort zone is to gradually expand it and find your optimal level of “good stress”. Increasing performance is only one of the important reasons for leaving the comfort zone. It also helps you to see the whole picture and come closer to an understanding which helps you to find your true potential, achieve your goals, and live a more satisfying life out of the limits which were holding you back.
Here are six ways to get out of your comfort zone:
- Do what you always wanted to do
- Do a fitness challenge
- Change your routine
- Expand your professional skills
- Choose a fear and face it
- Travel to a new place
The Exit Techniques:
Start getting out of your comfort zone by:
1. Loving What You Do
If you have a bucket list of things you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten around to them yet, you’re not alone. Many people have so-called bucket lists full of meaningful experiences and goals that they want to achieve. Challenge yourself by choosing something you’ve always wanted to do. This could be anything from learning how to play the piano to learning a new language or running a marathon.
2. A Fitness Challenge
According to YouGovAmerica data, getting healthier was the top goal of US adults in 2021. Try doing a 30-day fitness challenge, such as running or cycling. Fitness challenges not only expand your comfort zone, but also improve your physical health and well-being. Studies show that regular exercise reduces the effects of stress on the body and reduces anxiety levels. This will make it easier for you to try things outside of your comfort zone, because one of the barriers to stepping outside is the anxiety it creates.
3. Changing Your Routine
A routine built on good habits gives people stability and helps them get things done. But when a person becomes too entrenched in their daily routine, they feel like they are running on autopilot. Shaking up your routine with some spontaneity is one of the ways to get out of this situation. For example, say you work remotely from your home office every day. Change your routine and try to work a few times a week in a café or another place in your home.
4. Expanding Your Professional Skills Set
Comfort zones can hinder your professional growth. For example, being too comfortable in a role you’ve outgrown can hold you back when you need to advance in your career. One of the ways to leave your comfort zone is to learn new skills that will give you a competitive edge and make you more efficient. Use your organization’s learning and development resources to improve the skills needed in your industry.
5. Choosing And Facing A Fear
You have to be brave to get out of your comfort zone. Being brave does not mean eliminating fear, but moving forward in spite of it. Choose a fear that is currently holding you back and face it. You can start small. For example, if you fear public speaking, talk more during business meetings and join a local club.
6. Traveling To A New Place
Traveling is one of the best ways to get out of your comfort zone. It is not only entertaining, but also eye-opening. If you go to the same beach resort every vacation, choose a completely new destination the next time you travel. Exploring a diverse environment, language and way of life is one of the valuable experiences because it offers new perspectives and challenges your ways of thinking. Traveling also exposes you to the natural wonders of the world and makes you have a deeper appreciation for nature and the environment.
Benefits And Advantages Of Leaving The Comfort Zone
What happens when you leave your comfort zone?
Countless rewards await you at the end of your comfort zone.
And You Enter Your Growth Zone!
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of leaving out of your comfort zone:
1. Increase Endurance
Research showed that flexibility is an inner strength that can be learned. The more you expand out of your comfort zone, the more you strengthen your flexibility muscles. Hugging repeatedly from uncomfortable situations creates mental strength. This will help you to overcome obstacles in your personal and professional life with more ease and optimism. Since change and uncertainty will happen throughout your life, learning how to manage them is a very important skill.
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualization is our need to become whatever we are capable of becoming. It is a process of personal growth and development of abilities to achieve full potential in life. If you stay in your comfort zone, you will never know what you are really capable of. When you get over the initial fear of quitting, you begin to step into your potential, and you enter to your growth process.
Start by challenging yourself, becoming more motivated and looking for opportunities to learn. However, we should look at self-actualization as an ongoing journey rather than a one stop destination.
3. Increasing Self-Confidence:
Confidence and comfort zones are directly related. This means that the smaller the comfort zone, the less confidence you have in yourself and your abilities. The more you face your fears and challenge them, the more self-confidence you will have. For example, facing the fear of public speaking will increase your self-confidence in two ways. This will make you a more confident public speaker and increase your self-esteem. You will be proud of yourself for your success and your ability to take action despite your initial fear.
4. Less Regret
In her bestselling book, Top 5 Regrets of Death, Bonnie Ware reveals the biggest regrets of her palliative care patients’ lives. Three of their answers have a common theme:
“I wish I had the courage to live an honest life for myself and not the life that others expect of me.”
“I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.”
“Only if I had allowed myself to be happier.”
This goes on to explain that people who don’t honor their dreams and settle for a mediocre life end up regretting the choices they made or didn’t make, as it is famously said that we usually regret the decisions and actions that we didn’t take at the right time. Also, those who were stuck in old habits and were afraid of change lied to themselves that they are satisfied, when they actually were not satisfied and wished to be happier in reality.
Living in the comfort zone means taking the path of least resistance. While safe gaming has its advantages, it can also be imperfect. You will never regret leaving your comfort zone to follow your dreams and continue living the life you want because it gives you purpose, hope and it also empowers you, and helps you in your growth process.
Procedures For Exiting The Comfort Zone
Here are six practical steps that will make it easier to get out of your comfort zone:
1. Measure What Is Inside And Outside Of Your Comfort Zone
Think for a moment and ask yourself how it feels to live in your comfort zone. Write down all the positive and negative aspects of your current situation and how it makes you feel. Then, write down all the things that are outside of your comfort bubble. These can be dreams, goals or anything you would like to experience. Write down how you would feel if you lived outside your comfort zone and followed these desires. Writing can help you gain insight into your feelings and find the motivation to leave your comfort zone.
2. Set Personal Goals
Set personal SMART goals that will help you expand your comfort zone. For example, getting a master’s degree within five years is an example of a career goal that will help you grow personally and professionally. Clarify your specific goals, write them down, and determine how each goal will benefit you. Setting goals gives you a sense of direction and helps you create a personal vision for your life.
3. Take Action – One Step At A Time
Leaving your comfort zone can seem difficult. Overthinking it and looking too far ahead can be overwhelming and cause procrastination. This is why it is very important to take the first step and put one foot in front of the other. There is never a “right time” to start. As the ancient philosopher Lao Tzu once said: ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Every step you take to expand beyond your comfort zone is progress.
4. Find Your Sweet Spot
The tolerance of people in different situations is different. But a usually person knows their own tolerance is different situations based on their previous experiences. But when it comes to taking risks and leaving the comfort zone, the tolerance of risk comes to importance. Like the rats in the Yerkes-Dodson test, determine your optimal risk tolerance. If your risk tolerance is very low, start small. For example, if your goal is to grow your professional circle and connections, attending a networking event may seem intimidating at first. Bust if you have social anxiety for any reason at the time, instead, you can start networking in a way that is most convenient for you. For example, start by contacting the person you want to connect with on platforms such as LinkedIn and ask them to have a virtual online chat. Finding the sweet spot to challenge yourself without pushing yourself too hard and too much, can make all the difference.
Taking calculated and gradual baby steps towards your goal increases both your risk tolerance and self-confidence.
5. Cultivate A Positive Mental Attitude
When it comes to leaving your comfort zone, having the right attitude and mindset is very important. A positive mental attitude means to approach every situation and challenge in life with optimism.
Here is how to have a positive mental attitude when faced with uncertainty:
When you fail, have mercy on yourself
Consider challenges as opportunities
Set ambitious goals
Look at every failure as a lesson
Challenge negative beliefs and learn how to be optimistic
6. Expand Your Network, Hang Out With Like-Minded People
Identify people in your life with a growth mindset who regularly take risks. They can be friends, mentors or colleagues who are constantly learning, embracing challenges and moving forward despite failure. Spend time with them, find new people and think about their opinions in life, ask them for advice and model the qualities you admire in them. Having a support system makes stepping outside of your comfort zone much easier than doing it alone.
Key points when leaving the comfort zone:
Leaving your comfort zone feels uncomfortable and scary at first.
Let’s review some important points that will make your transition easier:
-Enjoy it. Leave your own mentality at home and don’t look for perfection. Instead, have fun and rediscover the joy of experiencing new things.
-Reset your perspective. Instead of imagining the worst possible outcome, how do you start imagining the best? Practice visualization techniques and enjoy achieving your goals.
-Celebrate every win. Acknowledge your progress and celebrate your big and small successes.
-Reduce thinking too much. Thinking too much stops you from taking action and turns everything into a worst case scenario. Exercises such as conscious breathing can help reduce negative thoughts and anxiety.
From Comfort Zone To The Growth Zone:
Copyrights@YasGorji.comLiving in the comfort zone has it’s advantages: It is comfortable! It feels safe, familiar and less stressful to stay at the comfort zone!
But as Nelson Mandela famously mentioned: “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Learning how to get out of your comfort zone will lead you to the life you can live beyond the limitations.
Find what motivates you and challenge yourself one step at a time.
Getting out of your comfort zone leads to your professional and personal development and growth. (Read this article if you want to ‘leave the comfort-zone behind!‘)