Stretch out of your comfort zone
Thanks to Dick for this gorgeous path photo!
Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut? Things are going the same way they always are…and yet something’s not right. Is there something more? There must be something more out there!
If you’re feeling like this, chances are you’re in your comfort zone. You know: you’re feeling relaxed, content, confident, safe, happy…and maybe also bored? Things are pretty good, and you feel like they could be better.
How to move on from here?
Try something new. Make a list of the things you want to do and start out with one of them. Do something different. Get agile!
By doing this, you will move from your comfort zone to your stretch zone. Have you ever done a new yoga class and stretched things that you didn’t even know existed? It’s kind of like that. You may feel daring, focused, challenged, excited, inspired, or energised.
Sound refreshing? It is.
And then there’s a step beyond into the panic zone: when you go beyond stretching and into a whole new area. You might feel frightened, out of control, exposed, irritable, insecure, confused, depressed, anxious, or vulnerable. Activities in the panic zone are generally things you avoid either because you find them unacceptable or because they’re just too big of a stretch for now and leave you with something more like a muscle cramp instead.
Note that I said “for now.” These three zones are constantly changing, so what may be a stretch today might, with practice, become tomorrow’s comfort. And today’s panic might become tomorrow’s stretch. As you try new things, you grow and change.
Stretching yourself on a regular basis will keep you agile (think “life yoga,” which works well with “task meditation“) and may significantly improve your level of happiness and the quality of your life.
What things are in your stretch zone that you’d like to try? What things are in your panic zone? When was the last time you tried something that put you in your stretch zone?
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Last night I had a dinner party. Usually I get all out of sorts for weeks before one. This time, I kept affirming that I was going to enjoy the process. And I did. I found myself observing things that happened along the way and it was interesting, where previously, I would have been so involved in trying to control outcomes that I would be miserable.
Wow, that’s amazing! I imagine it was much less stressful and you enjoyed it a lot more with that perspective.
I still get nervous before cooking for someone for the first time, but I no longer stress about it. Thanks to my husband, who runs a victory lap around the room when he really likes something I’ve made, I have a lot more confidence in my cooking (if it’s just a regular meal that he likes, he still applauds).
This is exactly what I needed to read/hear right now. You are right, we often get stuck in our comfort zones, keep dooing the same things (even which we want to change), just for the sake of comfort and not stretching out. But this builds up a stronger will and a wider range of options when we start stretching ourselves out of our dear comfort zone.
Great! I’m so glad this was useful to you.
I’ve been doing a lot of stretching outside of my comfort zone lately, mostly out of necessity, and I can already see how it’s changed my life. Things that just a couple of months ago were a stretch for me are now in my comfort zone, which makes it easier to try bigger things. I love it!