So, today I would like to talk about what a comfort zone is, whether it is necessary to leave it and how you can leave it.This topic is not new on the Internet, but it is this article that I will write based on the information and feelings received in the personal growth courses that I recently took.

What is a "comfort zone"

Let's start over: if we look at our life from the outside, then, as a rule, it all consists of certain actions that we perform daily (breakfast, work from 9 to 18, commuting to and from work on a standard route, evening pastime, etc. d.). Most people get used to all this, and therefore believe that it is convenient and should always be so.

All of the above - this is our comfort zone, where we are calm, where the sofa is in front of the TV the way we want and the way we are used to. All this is wonderful, but you can’t deny that you periodically want changes, but you are often afraid to admit it to yourself?

However, these changes do not consist in buying new jeans or replacing a kitchen set, believe me - this is something more, and we will talk about this “more”

Why and how to get out of your comfort zone

If you start to delve into this term, then the comfort zone is a kind of personal space in which we feel cozy, comfortable and safe. It is always quiet there in a certain sense, nothing changes, everything goes according to a long-established order ...

An example is the house where we live: have you noticed that when you come home, you calm down internally? This is our nervous system trying to get rid of all external irritating factors. Thus, we get used to this island of calmness, and we do not want to change anything. Even if we don't really like everything.

Or another example - you are looking for a new job and go to interviews. If the salary level is similar to the one you had before, at the interview you feel “at ease” and calmly answer questions. But if you get an interview in a large company, where the offered salary is 1.5-2 times higher, excitement and uncertainty appear from somewhere.

What keeps us from stepping out of our comfort zone?

And this happens because your brain is not sure that you can pull it. It's all about the subconscious, which worries about your safety and tries in every possible way to put you back into your comfort zone.

Let's add here more various troubles of a personal nature - here is the template ready that it is better to leave everything as it is and the new best is the enemy of the good.

Understand one thing: the comfort zone is a wonderful place, but without leaving it, you will never achieve anything!

If, after reading the above, you are left with the opinion that it makes no sense to leave this zone, then do not waste your time reading this article.

For those who really want to change their lives for the better, I urge: you can and should leave your comfort zone! Without this, our life turns into a routine, we ourselves stop developing, and often simply degrade. Moreover, this affects all aspects of our lives: work, personal life and leisure, communication with friends, etc.

Of course, no one is urging you to quit your job and home right away, take your whole family and, without listening to any objections, leave, say, to live in India. In practice, after all, there are quite a few people who are psychologically ready for a sharp exit from the comfort zone (by the way, I also do not fall into this minority). Therefore, one of the important points is not a complete change of this zone, but its expansion: after all, you and I do not have an end in itself to totally destabilize our lives, on the contrary, we are trying to smoothly introduce changes into our lives that will help us grow personally.

Another point is age: when you are young, it is much easier to decide to change your life. Of course, the sooner a person tries to do something to change his life for the better, the more chances he has to do it. It is not for nothing that revolutions and upheavals always consist in the majority of young people - enthusiastic idealists.

Although an exception to the rule has recently appeared in my life: my good friend's grandmother, who is 90 (!) years old, left for permanent residence with her son in the USA! Of course, many will say now - she has a son there, he will take care of her.

Guys, what are you talking about? Think about it - a person is 90 years old and she is not just leaving her comfort zone, she is leaving for another world! This is approximately how we will now find ourselves in the film "The 5th Element" with Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich in the lead roles (I think many people have watched this film).

And let's be quite frank - which of you is ready even at your age to sell property (an apartment and a summer house) and go to live in another country? I think, oh, how few ...

I follow the fate of this woman, she goes to English courses and (attention!) learns the vastness of the Internet! This is a perfect example of how a person stepped out of his comfort zone!

How to get out of your comfort zone so that it does not seem like the collapse of your whole life

Here, of course, you need to approach with your head. After all, getting out of the comfort zone is not an easy task not only for a person with complexes, but also for a person who is positive in life, although, of course, for a person who is ready to develop and does not stand still, stress as such will not happen. He simply will not have the idea that this exit can lead to negativity. Here it is appropriate to quote Nietzsche: “If a person has a “why” in his life, he will certainly do everything possible to be able to overcome any “how”.

In this situation, I will draw a parallel with investing on the Internet: after reading this article, I do not urge you to go “all in” and invest funds without thought, at random. This will definitely lead you to failure, and you will simply be disappointed in passive income.

However, if you have a goal for which you are ready to change your life, you will make every effort to achieve the goal, despite the discomfort. It’s just that initially you need to clearly understand what the task of leaving the comfort zone is and how much you need to move current goals, that is, set priorities (look, there are a lot of similarities with online investments: if you have a task to increase capital, you will certainly find an opportunity, how to make money).

Therefore, leaving the comfort zone must be deliberate. It is necessary to initially understand in which direction you need to move so that the risk does not eventually lead to a fiasco (how to avoid this, read the article ""). That is, once again: the risk must be insured one way or another.

Again, it must be understood that not all risk zones are necessary, since not always the one who takes risks necessarily drinks champagne. In order to get a positive result, it is necessary to start with more achievable goals, that is, start small - from local to global.

Expanding your comfort zone is the number one task if you want to develop to the fullest!

Here it is necessary to say a few words about the psychology of the person himself: Have you noticed that most children are very inquisitive and they have no fear of something new that they do not yet know? Just pay attention to how persistently they try to discover this new for themselves - I personally, as an already formed personality, envy them, because they don’t even need it!

Now let's look at us adults: with almost any innovation that threatens our comfort zone, we try to close ourselves, hide our heads in the sand, and as a result, this prevents us from developing. Now the question is what can be done about it?

Well, first you need to start accepting change as something natural, stop listening to skeptics who have not achieved anything in this life, and learn to overcome your doubts.

We must not forget that the world around us does not end with a sofa and watching football over a beer (although this, of course, should sometimes be present) and therefore it is necessary to learn it constantly, but what prevents us from doing this?That's right - our own comfort zone.

And it’s not necessary to immediately run to enter Moscow State University, but you can just look around - and you will more likely find that there are many people who think differently who have other interests in this life and, perhaps, they coincide with yours, you just need to talk with them and take a closer look!

After all, everything starts small and this is no secret to anyone. So maybe it makes sense to start expanding your comfort zone today? For example, sign up for a boxing class or a dance school, start doing 30 push-ups every morning, take a morning walk to the subway or even to work - in general, do not do the standard things that you are used to doing daily?

Personally, I went out of my comfort zone when I decided that I would definitely master investing on the Internet, collect my investment portfolio and come to receive a stable passive income!

Just start doing those things that you have long wanted to do, but put them off “for later” and believe me, the main thing is to just start: as I recently learned, a habit is developed in 21 days, you don’t need to force yourself further!

Set achievable goals for yourself and achieve them - this really brings pleasure and moral satisfaction, and is also a motivation to conquer new heights, achieve more global goals.

Believe me, as soon as you start changing your habits, your comfort zone will immediately change, thoughts will appear by themselves, what else can be changed in your life for the better. This always happens - it has already been tested by many! Just live with the fulfillment of goals, make a plan, master the science of time management - and very soon you will learn to value your time and people who waste it in vain will cause healthy sarcasm in you.

Do not let fear take over you, you need to make an effort to learn how to deal with it and overcome it. Do you know what assignment I was given in the basic personal growth course? Meet and take phones from 10 girls on the street in the allotted time (looking ahead, I’ll say - I took 7 out of 10 ). Thus, I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone, and I succeeded! Set a goal for yourself - one that makes you uncomfortable, but beckons - and go for it! And then everything will be much easier, and the fear of leaving the comfort zone once again will disappear by itself!

Conclusion

To get out of your comfort zone, you need to try to keep up with the times, change yourself and, most importantly, set achievable goals for yourself. After you learn how to do this, all fears and doubts will disappear by themselves.

Have I stepped out of my comfort zone? To be honest, not completely yet, I still need to return to it, but every day I do it less and less and I believe that the moment will soon come when I will be completely independent of it!

Start trying to live here and now (this applies both to online investments and to all vital interests in general) and then you will never regret what you could, but did not dare to realize ...

And remember:

If the topic of the comfort zone and getting out of it was useful and interesting for you - share it on social networks, let your friends and acquaintances also learn something useful for their development and movement forward!

There is one skill that helps in all matters, increases productivity, and allows you to cope with the most difficult tasks and problems ...

Quit smoking. Lose weight. Learn a new language. Make a date. Write a difficult report.

Anything you want to do is not that hard. Collect information, write down a plan of action - and do it.

And despite this - we smoke every day, gain weight, and again put off what we want to do a long time ago. Every day we do exactly the opposite of what we plan to do.

We live in the Age of Information. To achieve any goal - often you just need to find information, write down the necessary steps - and follow them.
But we still don't do it.

What part of the equation are we missing?

This part is the area of ​​discomfort. This is our real enemy, and information cannot defeat him. It is a desire to avoid pain and fear, and we do not have the strength to cope with it.

We are too well trained to avoid this discomfort, we prefer to turn away from it.

It appears whether we like it or not. You may not think about it at all. But every day we make decisions based on our unwillingness to experience it.

There are millions of ways to avoid discomfort, millions of ways to deceive yourself and not do what you need to do. We have come up with hundreds of names for them: laziness, avoidance, and so on.

The only thing I can't stand is the discomfort. ~ Gloria Steinem

The main and most difficult skill that I have been learning for five years of blogging is a skill that helps in all matters, helps to cope with all complex tasks and problems:

Learn to be comfortable with discomfort.

To realize in time an attack of procrastination before a difficult task, to cope with an attack of a bad mood, to finish the necessary when you don’t feel like it, and then enjoy the results - in all this, the skill to calmly endure discomfort helps.

If you create it, you can learn anything. Defeat procrastination, regularly go to a fitness club, learn a new language, learn to dance, go through any trials and physically difficult events, perform from the stage. And this is just the beginning.

Unfortunately, most people avoid discomfort. I mean, they really avoid - at the first sign of discomfort, they run as quickly as possible in the other direction. It is this factor that prevents us from changing habits.

Just think: many people don't eat vegetables because they don't like the taste of them. We are not talking about some terrible excruciating pain. No, it's just that their taste is not what they are used to! And they eat it all sweet and fried and meaty and salty. And then they suffer from excess weight, and diabetes, and a bunch of other diseases, but they cannot change anything.

But if you learn to cope with discomfort, it turns out that a little discomfort is not so bad. In fact, you can get used to it, and even enjoy it, after a little practice.

The more we master this skill, the greater our ability to change anything. Become the master of the fear of discomfort - and you will become the master of your personal universe.

Avoiding discomfort

When people feel stressed, they tend to smoke, or eat, or go shopping, or drink, whatever, to get rid of the discomfort that this stress causes them.

2. Want to lose weight? Instead of blindly following the first impulse to eat (this is not even hunger, but the desire to chew something) - you calmly perceive the feeling of a little hunger. When necessary, slightly reduce your portion - and calmly gradually lose weight. You - it has become your friend and adviser.

3. You have a difficult conversation ahead, which you don't want to start? It could be a conversation with your boss about your salary or the number of responsibilities you have. With your family - about your grievances, or things that do not suit you and which it is high time to talk about.

It often happens like this: we want to talk about something important, but we put it off again and again. Until we simply no longer have the strength to remain silent - and then we break down and give out everything in full. In anger, we can say anything, but this does not allow us to discuss everything in a way that suits both parties.

What if you learned to deal with discomfort? It tells you - yes, it is not an easy task, you need to prepare. Gather the facts, find the right arguments. But having prepared everything you need - you do not put off the conversation again and again - but calmly and consciously start this important conversation. This way you can find a solution acceptable to all parties - without shouting, breaking dishes and breaking chairs.

4. Learn a new language (tool). Do you want to learn something new? It means doing something you're not used to, and often we quit before we're good at it. Hold on longer, take it easy that not everything works right away, and soon you will be able to enjoy a new skill.

I put off wanting to learn how to program for five years. But last year I decided to start. And now I just do not understand one thing: why did you have to wait so long? This is how discomfort under the guise of procrastination spoils our life in big and small.

5. Empty the inbox in the mail. Another form of procrastination is when you get some emails, look at them, but don't answer them right away. They accumulate... then look at these hundreds of letters with annoyance - and don't know what to do. When you learn to calmly endure a little discomfort and immediately answer letters, even when a little lazy, one problem in your life will become less.

All these examples are just the beginning. Take any business that you have long dreamed of, but could not start. Now that you are not afraid of discomfort - all this has become available to you.

The ability to calmly endure discomfort will be the key that will open a variety of doors for you.

The habitual internal state of a person is called a comfort zone. It includes established stereotypes, stereotyped thinking. It is very difficult for us to leave our comfort zone - the unknown and change scare us. But when a person performs the same actions day after day, he stops developing - such is our psychology. We become consumers, limited by our own minds. In order to learn how to make important decisions, change the “support points”, you need to get out of your comfort zone.

The psychology of the comfort zone

If you want to improve the quality of life, you need to realize that as long as you are afraid to look out of the "shell", change will not come. Human psychology is that the comfort zone gives a feeling of psychological peace, security. But the level of energy does not change. A person knows what he will do today, tomorrow and in a week - life becomes predictable and monotonous.

When we perform habitual comfortable activities on a daily basis, our level of self-development decreases. Therefore, any attempts to change something cause stress, anxiety and anxiety arise - even books on psychology do not help. We stop doing something, and again we find peace - the development of personality does not occur.

The comfort zone is formed by the way of life of a person, his behavior, personal experience. Positive emotions are a good incentive to move forward, and a negative result makes you hide in the “house”. After a failure, a person again performs habitual actions, returns to stereotypes - this way it is easier for him to find inner harmony. If you decide that your comfort zone is preventing you from achieving success, you need to change your habits, read books on psychology. Imagine what you would do if you were in an unfamiliar country without knowing the language or your car did not start before an important meeting? Think about how the events that you are terribly afraid of would develop. When mentally you are ready for change, you can move on to practical actions.

Human psychology: push the boundaries

When you have made the decision to move from where you are now, you need to expand the boundaries of your own zone. You need to realize that your goals are beyond it, so let your potential unfold.

The psychology of a person is such that when he leaves his usual conditions, he finds himself in a panic zone. Therefore, the “exit” should be systematic in order to minimize stressful situations. To get closer to the goal, you need to prepare while in your comfort zone - do audience research, read books on psychology, make the right contacts and learn to establish contact. Then you get into the growth zone, and you will not panic. Positive experiences inspire – that’s our psychology.

Negative Emotions Are Helpful “Symptoms”

When a person leaves the familiar world, he feels fear, uncertainty - these are normal "symptoms". Worry and anxiety are your "companions" on the way to the growth zone. Human psychology is that they are replaced by satisfaction when the goal is achieved.

To avoid panic, you do not need to "throw" yourself too far from the usual "swamp". Then, if necessary, you can always return to your atmosphere, restore spiritual harmony and consider a further plan of action. But try not to linger there for a long time, otherwise you risk losing the goal again. A person quickly gets used to peace - such is his psychology.

Listen to yourself, your feelings and inner state. Then you will be able to understand that you are approaching a panic zone.

Books on psychology: ways to get out of the habitual zone

For the peace of mind of a person, it is very important how exactly he left the comfort zone - this is our psychology. Preliminary preparation gives a feeling of confidence - you will not feel sorry for yourself, perceive you as an "abandoned chick."

The second way out is aggressive. Do not wait until life circumstances force you to change your habitual way. Then the consequences of stressful situations can be much harder.

Start by changing the order of the day. Adjust your schedule so you can try something unusual.

Make acquaintances, do not be afraid to communicate with people. Think about the direction in which you want to move and look for like-minded people. Attend sections of interest, trainings - you can exchange experiences with people and gain new skills. Our psychology is such that any skills increase self-esteem.

Take a few days out of your work schedule and go on a trip. Don't think of anything in advance - while you go, make a rough plan. Such improvisation will help to expand your own limits - you will find yourself in unfamiliar conditions and get a lot of impressions.

Don't be afraid of responsibility. Develop new projects, take the initiative. Your goal is to work well, to contribute ideas that will help you excel and succeed.

Give your body moderate exercise—it's an important component of health and wellness. Gradually increase the load - this will be an additional reason for pride.

Change your usual diet. Give preference to healthy food, vegetables, fruits, lean meat. Prepare delicious dishes, sit down at the table only when it is beautifully set.

A large-scale goal is a good incentive to move into the growth zone. If the familiar atmosphere needs to be changed for the sake of a dream, then a person tolerates innovations more easily - such is psychology. Set yourself a time limit to achieve the goal - this will force you to act more actively.

Learn something new every day. Choose one area that you have not been interested in before, and study it methodically. This is not only a good workout for the brain - you will expand your horizons. Books on psychology assure that soon you will have a thirst for knowledge, and you will be happy to do what previously seemed boring and uninteresting.

People with inspiration do what they like - this is human psychology. Turn your passion into a profitable business - almost any hobby can make money. Even if it is a penny sum, you will get positive emotions and one more reason to be proud.

The psychology of the comfort zone is that you can get out of it painlessly if you work on yourself and improve yourself. When you feel like giving up and hiding in the "shell", remember your dreams and goals. Books on psychology will help you find an additional incentive.

Every person has a personal space, and it implies a certain comfort zone where he feels calm and confident. Personal territory should be inaccessible to outsiders.

The pharaohs of ancient Egypt did not allow even those who had served them faithfully for years, and at French balls the guests danced at a certain distance from each other, without touching their dance partners.

Traveling in crowded transport, large crowds on the streets, cramped apartments, annoying advertising companies - these are the things that constantly violate the boundaries of our personal territory in the modern world.

And how many wars were started because of the unwillingness of one country to reckon with the state borders of another.

Personal space: Any animal is surrounded by some spatial zone. They consider this zone their own personal territory. How far does this area extend? Depends on how densely populated the places in the habitat are.

Everyone knows that natural instincts have a very great influence on human behavior. Therefore, a person also has his own air shell surrounding his body and its size depends on the population density of people in his place of residence, national characteristics, social status in society:

Consider the average size of a person's personal space:

1. Intimate zone (from 15 to 46 cm). Of all the zones, this is the most important, since it is this zone that a person guards as if it were his own property. Basically, only those people who are in close emotional contact with him are allowed to enter this zone.

Namely children, parents, spouses, lovers, close friends and relatives. In this zone there is also a subzone with a radius of 15 cm, which can only be penetrated through physical contact. This is an extremely intimate area.

2. Personal zone (from 46 cm to 1.2 meters). This is the distance that usually separates us when we are at cocktail parties, official receptions, formal evenings and friendly parties.

3. Social zone (from 1.2 to 3.6 meters). This is the distance we keep from strangers, such as a plumber or carpenter who comes to fix our house, a postman, a new employee at work, and people we don't know very well.

4. Public area (more than 3.6 meters). When we address a large group of people, it is most convenient to stand exactly at this distance from the audience.

Now consider how you can use personal space in psychology and communication:

1) Usually our intimate zone is violated by this or that person for two reasons. The first is when the "violator" is our close relative or friend, or someone who has sexual intent.

The second is when the "intruder" shows hostile tendencies and tends to attack us. If we can tolerate the invasion of strangers into our personal and social zones, then the invasion of a stranger into the intimate zone causes various physiological reactions and changes inside our body. The heart begins to beat faster, adrenaline is released into the blood, and it rushes to the brain and muscles as a signal of the physical readiness of our body for battle, i.e. alert.

2) If you touch the hand or hug the person you just met in a friendly way, this may cause him or her to react negatively towards you, even if he or she smiles at you and, in order not to offend you, pretend that she likes it.

If you want people to feel comfortable, and when performing any psychomanipulative actions, follow the golden rule: you need to approach a person in stages, depending on how close you have established emotional contact with him. The warmer and more interesting the conversation, the more intimate our relationship with other people, the closer we are allowed to penetrate into their zones.

For example, a newly hired employee at first may think that the team treats him very coolly, but they simply keep him at a distance of the social zone, because they do not know him well.

As soon as colleagues get to know him better, the territorial distance between them is reduced, and in the end he is allowed to move within the personal zone, and in some cases penetrate into the intimate zone.

3) The distance between two kissers can tell you a lot about the nature of the relationship between these people. Lovers tightly press their bodies against each other and are inside each other's intimate zone.

The distance will be completely different if you receive a kiss from a stranger wishing you a Happy New Year, or from your best friend's husband, since both will put their lower body at least 15 cm away from yours.

4) Crowding at concerts, in cinema halls, on escalators, in transport, elevators leads to the inevitable invasion of each other's intimate zones and it is interesting to observe people's reaction to these invasions. Many try not to talk, even with acquaintances. Almost no one looks directly at others.

Faces impartial, thoughtful - basically no manifestation of emotions. If there is a book or newspapers in the hands, people are completely immersed in reading. The closer in transport, the more restrained movements appear. In the elevator, many look only at the floor sign above their heads.

All this indicates that any person feels discomfort when his personal space is violated by strangers, because the natural unconscious instinct regards this as a threat or danger. As a result, the brain, in order not to overload itself, goes into a light trance, and people who are not used to city life even at first get lost in the crowd and forget where they are and where they are going.

But the boundaries of personal territory exist far beyond the physical level. It is because of the unwillingness of many to reckon with the boundaries of the partner’s comfort zone that strife occurs in married couples.

Determining the boundaries of personal space in family relationships is much more difficult than defending your territory from strangers and little-known people.

At the beginning of a relationship, two people dream about how they can completely immerse themselves in each other's lives, build a life together, but over time, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200btotal dedication and a fusion of interests" becomes less fabulous.

This happens for the reason that each person has his own personal interests, hobbies, which do not always coincide with the worldview of the partner, there is a discrepancy between the concept of the comfort zone and personal space.

The comfort zone protected by everyone includes the opportunity to be alone with yourself at a certain time, dream alone, think about pressing problems, without explaining your desires to another person.

Of course, it is impossible to draw a clear line under the definition of personal territory, since for everyone it is purely individual and you can learn about its boundaries only from its owner, asking directly or noticing through long experiments. But, if you want to build a strong relationship, you need to decide on the boundaries of your partner’s private space anyway.

The boundaries of the comfort zone depend largely on the following points:

1. From the type of character

Extroverts do not set clear boundaries of personal space and may require their loved ones to dedicate themselves to the "holy of holies", while introverts, on the contrary, perceive encroachments on personal territory very painfully.

2. From a person's self-confidence

Those who are insecure and constantly worry about being betrayed are more prone to wanting to "test" their loved ones. They strive to check e-mail or SMS, arrive from work earlier than the scheduled time.

3. From the place of residence and nationality

Residents of megacities, accustomed to being in a closed space with a large number of outsiders, attach less importance to compliance with the comfort zone than those who are accustomed to living in spacious houses and who are surrounded by a small number of citizens on the streets.

4. From established traditions in the family

If it is customary in the family of your loved one to read other people's letters and answer personal mobile phones to everyone who passes by them during an incoming call, talk loudly about problems, then most likely there will be attempts on your personal life by the young man. And all your attempts to step back or point out his incorrect behavior will be perceived at best as a joke, at worst as the most severe insult.

In our society, even a not very educated person knows that reading other people's letters, SMS, and checking incoming / outgoing calls is completely prohibited. Some do not do this for the reason - "the less you know - you sleep better." Of course, there are people who want to know everything and be aware of everything that happens in the life of another person. It is already useless to fight here and it remains only to change the partner.

People who have different opinions about where a person's personal space ends often cannot understand each other at all.

___________________________________________________________

Throughout our conscious life, we are faced with the need to change something, make some important decisions, but we are hindered by fear of the unknown. We begin to convince ourselves that everything is not entirely bad, and it is not known whether it will be better there ... We are afraid to seriously change something.

What is a comfort zone in psychology?

There are boundaries within us within which we feel good and safe. It is precisely these internal frameworks that force us to grab onto those relationships that have long outlived their usefulness, for positions and jobs that are not only uninteresting to us, but also do not bring a normal income.

These inner boundaries create a comfort zone. Let's see what it is?

The comfort zone in psychology is the area of ​​our living space that gives us a sense of security. Usually it is determined by habitual behavior, comfortable is what you are used to. Good in a world where everything is stable, familiar and predictable.

In fact, this is the state in which we feel comfortable. It would seem, well, what's wrong with that? Of course, nothing. In addition, it greatly hinders the development of something new, unknown.

To achieve something and do something, you need to get out of your comfort zone. Learning is always associated with going beyond its boundaries.

Beyond the comfort zone is the risk zone. A prerequisite for the development of personality is to go beyond the boundaries of comfort.

Usually young people are more willing to expand their comfort zone. If an ordinary person lingers in it for too long and does not do anything to expand it, then personal development stops there, degradation begins.

Such a definition gives a clear understanding that if we are interested in development, then we will inevitably have to overcome these boundaries.

How to determine the situation of being in the comfort zone for too long?

First, let's figure out how we can tell if we're overly stuck in our comfort zone. You will understand this by your own reaction to some new situation or circumstances. Perhaps you have just thought about it, but it already causes fear in you. I would like to note that the first reaction can be very different: anxiety, stress, fear, curiosity, interest. However, it is fear that is an indicator that the comfort zone is convenient for you - you do not want to leave it.

However, in order to expand your zone, you need to accept everything new and adapt to it.

Awareness

Psychologists say that life begins exactly where the comfort zone ends. To get out of it, you need to understand that you have been there for too long, as if hanging in this state. Until we ourselves recognize this fact, we will not be able to move anywhere. The important point is the very acceptance of this thought. There must also be a desire, an understanding that you just need to get out of this situation.

The comfort zone in psychology covers absolutely all spheres of life. It can be relationships that do not suit us, business, unnecessary and unloved work, home, city. All this is in our familiar zone, but it has not suited us for a long time, however, being afraid of change, we sit and do nothing in order to change something in our lives.

What is a comfort zone and how to get out of it so as not to harm yourself?

Realizing that we are stuck in one place, we need to act. The list of steps to be taken can be conditionally called a program of action. It is needed primarily in order to gently move from one state to another.

The first step is a challenge

The first step in overcoming internal boundaries will be the very process of setting the task. We must decide what we want to achieve, what result we need.

Suppose we realized that we are afraid and uncomfortable to get acquainted with a new environment of people. So, we will need to communicate with strangers as often as possible. This will be our task. The process should become more familiar, and therefore more comfortable.

The second step is the volume of the planned result

At this stage, it is necessary to formulate the volume of the planned result. These should be quite specific figures: what and how much I want to receive, by what date. As a rule, this is an expert assessment of oneself. If you formulate an ORM, it will help you to cope with the work more effectively.

How do we know if our comfort zone has expanded? Naturally, the criterion for success will be your peace of mind when making new acquaintances. In this case, the volume can be formulated as the number of new people in the environment. And at the same time, we denote the number of acquaintances per day. In general, it is logical to gradually increase volumes within reasonable limits. Even if all this does not immediately lead to a comfortable state, there will still be a positive effect.

The biggest trick in this case is that your attention is switched to doing a certain job, you do not focus on the very process of getting out of the settled state. The comfort zone is something to work on, it will not come by itself.

The third step is work

Work is nothing more than a gradual passage of all the planned steps. First of all, we have planned a program of activities for each day, our task is to follow the intended path. It will be good if you write reports on your daily activities, while analyzing the result and the process itself.

Fourth step - and work again

Yes Yes. We were not mistaken ... Again, work.

I would like to point out two points. Firstly, in order to expand the comfort zone, you must definitely work.

Secondly, it should be carried out consistently with a gradual increase in volume. This should not be forgotten.

Knowing what a comfort zone is and how to get out of it, people often make attempts to immediately jump over the stage they want to reach. And for some, it can even succeed, but for the greater mass it will end up with them not leaving the comfortable state at all, being afraid of mistakes. That is why it is important to gradually adapt to the new expanded zone.

A new habit, as a rule, is fixed exactly twenty-one days. Learning something new is also a kind of zone expansion.

We must make sure that we feel comfortable in an ever-increasing volume, then we will not run the risk of destroying absolutely all the results of our labors. Every step should be comfortable.

Fifth step - development of new territory

At this stage, the comfort zone is a new territory that has already been mastered. You can relax and enjoy life. Not forgetting that new territories and victories lie ahead.

Exercises and training

If a person is afraid of something, then he must certainly do it, this is the opinion of many psychologists. Having determined what a comfort zone is, and once expanding it, we must develop the habit and ability to correctly get out of it in any situation. And for this you need to overcome the fear of something new.

There are special exercises for these purposes:

1. You need to start by changing the usual little things. For example, change the schedule of the day, take a different route, shop at a new store, purchase unusual products.
2. Meeting a new person is a great way out of a comfortable state.
3. Then you can learn something that you did not know before. Embroider, knit, cook a new dish, play the guitar.
4. Watch a movie or read a book in a genre uncharacteristic for you.
5. Go on an unplanned trip, everything should be impromptu, without any prior preparations. You will get a lot of new impressions, and expand your comfort zone.
6. Visit a new location. For example, a new restaurant with unusual cuisine for you.
7. Put on new things, those that you would not dare to wear before. It can be extraordinary styles, colors.
8. Then you can do the rearrangement of furniture. Refresh your room with a new interior.
9. Take a ride in a minibus on a previously unfamiliar path.
10. And finally, come up with your simulators - situations.

Brian Tracy

In psychology, the name of Brian Tracy is widely known. He is considered the world's expert in success. He developed his own system for achieving it, and did it at the age of twenty-five. Since then, Tracy has written many books on psychology. He continues to work at the present time, conducting trainings and consultations.

What else is Brian Tracy famous for? The comfort zone is one of the topics he has worked on. His book Get Out of Your Comfort Zone is all about this topic. In it, he talks about twenty-one ways to increase personal effectiveness. Certainly, his work deserves attention.

Instead of an afterword

Speaking about the comfort zone, they do not mean those external circumstances that are convenient for a person, but they mean internal life boundaries, existing in which people feel safe. Sofa, massage, coffee give a feeling of comfort for one person, and the other, who is not used to it, can be taken out of the calm zone. All these things are foreign to him.

Being comfortable isn't always helpful. People tend to get bogged down in unnecessary circumstances and relationships, but they, out of habit, feel quite comfortable and do not risk changing something in their lives, fearing that these changes will not lead to anything good.

Beyond the boundaries of the comfort zone is a zone of risk, possible trials and dangers. Not everyone is consciously ready to leave the usual comfort and get into unpleasant conditions. However, only in this way can a person develop. He certainly needs to periodically leave the comfort zone, he just needs to learn how to do it right, without harming himself. Gradually expanding the zone for himself, he will certainly be in it. You can't be uncomfortable all the time. Having learned to adapt, a person is easier to master new areas of activity. Getting out of the comfort zone is useful, it is a kind of shake-up and an incentive for further action and development.