The popular trend of leaving the comfort zone can cause a lot of trouble to an unprepared person. Is it worth it to break your stereotypes sharply? How to get out of the comfort zone with minimal losses?
What is a comfort zone?
The comfort zone is a familiar and comfortable state of mind of a person. It is caused by established habits, stereotypes of thinking and behavior. This is a comfortable existence in which a person feels safe when there is no motivation to act or make efforts.
A comfort zone is a certain stage that a person has achieved with the help of his knowledge and actions. He has no problems with housing, work. He is more or less satisfied with financial wealth. That is, the basic needs are satisfied:
- hunger and thirst;
- safety, lack of fears;
- confidence, reliability;
- sexual satisfaction.
A person is in a familiar environment, performs familiar actions. A comfort zone is followed by a zone of unusual behavior. Change of stereotypes of thinking, action means leaving the comfort zone. Images habitual lives change to new scenery.
Only after a person consciously decides to leave the comfort zone does he try to change the stereotype of behavior and thinking. Only then the question arises: "How to get out of the comfort zone?" A person independently makes a decision on changing habits and bears full responsibility for his subsequent actions.
Exit Comfort Zone
There are 2 ways to exit the comfort zone.
The first is the suddenly changed conditions, circumstances. There may be economic crises when a person loses everything and starts life from scratch. A prison or army is also a way out of the comfort zone into an unknown environment. A serious disease, when you have to spend a long time in a hospital bed, change the usual way. Loss of work or housing makes a person go in an unusual direction, look for ways to solve the problem.
The second is a conscious decision to exit the comfort zone. This is the softest way when there is an opportunity to independently change something in life. At that moment, when a person decides that it is time to leave the comfort zone, he can take actions that can subsequently lead to personal or career growth. It should take into account the energy potential of a person, his age and the goals that he sets for himself.
Secret dangers of the comfort zone
How to get out of your comfort zone? Why do I need to get out of it? The comfort zone carries a lack of motivation, daily mechanical performance of duties, and routine. Curiosity helps to expand the boundaries of a known existence. The law of delayed life makes you indulge in the illusion that all the best is only ahead.
It is necessary to abandon false errors. Start living on the principle of "here and now." A habitual existence can subsequently lead to the realization that life has passed, and there is nothing more to strive for. Therefore, each person decides for himself whether it is worth leaving the familiar state.
Why leave the comfort zone?
A person who is constantly experiencing unusual stress or who is in unusual situations, quickly adapts to new conditions of life. In order not to be on the sidelines of life pulled out of the comfort zone by blows of fate or unforeseen crises, you can prepare your psyche and make it flexible.
It is believed that leaving the comfort zone is the only way of development. At the stage of growing up, such a path is the only right one. But later, when a person has already taken place as a person, the development path can be carried out without leaving the comfort zone. So is it necessary to change the familiar environment?
The comfort zone makes a person think that everything is under his control. Fixation in a certain state prevents the person from solving problems that exist at this stage.
For example, there is a two-room apartment, but I want a two-story house. Being in the comfort zone, this problem cannot be solved. Unusual actions must be taken to help resolve the issue, and the person will enter a new stage.
Further, other problems await him, which should also be addressed by pushing the boundaries of a new comfortable zone. Such a movement forward, towards new goals and objectives, is capable of ensuring human development. These may not necessarily be material values. Spiritual development is not so simple as it seems at first glance. Overcoming difficulties in charity affairs is no less difficult and sometimes require greater returns.
The way out of the comfort zone should be provided with external and internal resources. This is energy, focus, health, the availability of time, stable wealth.
The mental component of leaving the comfort zone
A change in mental state leads out of the comfort zone. Stress, internal resistance, self-deception - the main techniques that help the body return to its former, comfortable state.
If we take the natural growth of a person, then the growth of personality, the acquisition of experience and knowledge go through crises. This is a crisis of 1 year, 3 years, 7 years, a crisis of adolescence. Such milestones of growing up are the most vivid and revealing. But all of them lead to the expansion of the comfort zone. The curiosity of the child pushes him to overcome difficulties. Thanks to this, there is a stage in the formation of personality.
Having become older, having a job, family, housing, a person gets rid of the need to achieve something. Moreover, in some cases, when it is impossible to get a plan, he psychologically tries to devalue a thing or interpersonal relationships.
For example, you want to buy a washing machine, but there is no extra money. Then a person, not wanting to leave the comfort zone, tries to discount it (a lot of water or powder is wasted, makes noise or takes up a lot of space, only lazy people wash clothes in the car).
Self-deception, depreciation, fear, laziness return a person to their usual comfortable state. The limitedness inspired by the law of deferred life is growing. But the hopes that everything is still ahead and much can be achieved are more often than not fantasies.
Narrowing comfort zone
The narrowing of the comfort zone indicates a gradual degradation of the individual. This is the case when the necessary things become unnecessary. The most striking examples of narrowing the comfort zone are alcoholism, drug addiction. All human existence is reduced to the necessary mental state. The absence of habitual intoxication leads to aggression, unpredictable acts, and suicide.
During the narrowing of the comfort zone, work, home, family gradually become redundant. Relationships, financial independence are devalued. Man is content with little, motivating his inaction with a philosophical outlook on life.
Comfort Zone Extension
The expansion of the comfort zone usually comes down to the necessary actions that you do not want to do. The more often a person tries to expand his comfort zone, the more painless and easier this process becomes afterwards.
You should not dramatically change your habits, environment. In no case should you expose your health to danger. Only a gradual, smooth expansion of the boundaries will allow the psyche to painlessly adapt to new conditions. How to get out of your comfort zone? Psychology can offer sample actions. But to apply them in life or find your own path of development - a person must decide for himself.
It is necessary to determine the motivation and end result of their actions. Why is it necessary to expand the comfort zone and what should it bring in the future? At the same time, it is important to clearly realize the purposefulness of your actions, to have enough time and internal resources for their implementation.
For example, there is a desire to become a director of a bank, but there is no specialization with which you can reach your goal. Therefore, it is important to determine the real task and deal with it from a young age. The ability to expand boundaries, move from one stage to a higher level, the habit of not stopping at what has been achieved will help bring a person tangible success in life.
How to get out of your comfort zone?
Numerous psychological trainings help people get rid of fears, complexes. The exit of their comfort zone is the same overcoming of difficulties. There are simple solutions that will help you get started. Before you think about how to get out of your comfort zone, it is important to realize that such an action is necessary.
- Change the daily routine (without prejudice to sleep, rest, nutrition).
- Go on a trip (you can find the nearest route to a neighboring city, walk through parks, museums).
- Go in for sports (it is imperative to take into account the state of health, to start a fairly small morning gymnastics).
- Add variety (unscheduled to go to the zoo or to the exhibition, enroll in courses, try a new dish or read a new book).
- To set a goal and achieve it (not to chase global achievements, you can go for groceries every day for a sick neighbor).
Errors when leaving the comfort zone
If a person has realized the need to change the usual way of life, a new question arises. How to get out of your comfort zone and not experience stress? The thing is that a person will definitely feel discomfort when leaving a stereotypical environment. Stress is a natural feeling when leaving a comfort zone. Thanks to him, the body is mobilized, begins preparation for a new stage.
Only after experiencing stress and changing thinking, a person is able to expand the comfort zone. If the stereotypical thinking remains - the person closes in himself. He becomes unable to adequately assess the situation, clings to the experience of the past. In this case, irreversible mental states are possible.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to really assess your capabilities. Dramatic changes (change of city, country, direction of personal growth) are best planned for up to 35 years.
Recommendations for moving out of your comfort zone
Changing habits, lifestyle can undermine human health. Internal energy, resources, motivation must be so huge that leaving the comfort zone leads to an improvement in life. How to make an exit with minimal mental loss?
- Praise yourself for the slightest expansion of borders, for small achievements.
- Do not forget about goals and motivation.
- Act gradually, avoiding sharp jumps in activity.
- Make a minimum plan and not shy away from it.
- More often meet, communicate with new people whose life status is higher than yours.