How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Do you know that practical spiritual tips have a real power to change your life? I had been hanging in the balance for a week or two either to stay at my old job or leave it for new responsibilities in quite a different field before I came across one of those self-promotional posts of LinkedIn resume writers. The words from there: “A comfort zone is a wonderful place, but nothing ever grows there” suddenly has become my tipping point of what to do. I never look back but always remember how getting through outlines of a personal comfort zone can impact our life. Let’s discuss the right conditions for your personal growth.

What Is Hidden Behind a Comfort Zone

We used to think of “comfort zone” as a corny tagline printed on corporate posters from the late ’80s. But in fact, this notion comprises several psychological concepts, such as fear of facing any risk, adaptive behavior, and a pattern to minimize stress. The defensive activity of the brain prevents you through habit and familiarity from embracing risk and making changes in your life, holding you back from personal growth. This is how it works.

Oppressed Curiosity

A comfort zone grants a sense of familiarity, calm, security, and certainty, acting as a caring mother in order to cradle curiosity. Though being curious is something we are naturally born to be, it’s a red flag for behavior that fits a routine. Try to step out of your comfort zone, you will immediately notice how vulnerable you are to stress and anxiety. Your brain will have unpredictable reactions, crying wolf about all dangers to happen.

Stress-free Discourse

Psychologically, our comfort zone is the place we're most at home, getting free of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. The term “comfort zone” is borrowed from the temperature zones and originally meant neutral 67 - 78 degrees where a human being feels neither hot nor cold. That is why your comfort zone serves as a thermostat that is ready to force a working pattern to minimizes the possibility of stress and risk. Though we regard stress as an unpleasant and dangerous feeling, healthy stress can be a strong motivator for you, being a catalyst for growth and actions.

Fear of Challenges

There are almost no challenges within the space of the comfort zone due to your fear. This natural, powerful, primitive but valuable human emotion alerts you anytime to the presence of danger or the threat of harm. It keeps us safe and encourages caution whether that danger is physical or psychological. That is why you should overcome the fear of change, failure, or something that is unknown to take all risks or make some decisions. If you stay away from danger and leave things as they are, will you be happy with how things have turned out?

Reasons to Break Through Your Routine

We are far from the times when the first people prioritized survival, but still like to play it safe, avoid taking risks or leaps of faith when it comes to our choices. Consistent, steady performance looks like drifting in a safe autopilot mode, the optimal conditions to get the biggest rewards will appear with the new and challenging tasks. Here's why the dreamers struggle to take a step outside their comfort zones and get all benefits:

1. Challenging yourself eliminates fear, making you perform at your peak.
2. Taking risks will help you grow by developing responsibility.
3. Trying something new develops imagination and a creative way of thinking.
4. Embracing new challenges helps to stay mentally sharp.

Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

There is no specific method to push you out of a comfortable routine except to eliminate your fear. You can choose any of these small but powerful pieces of advice which can be effective to get out of your comfort zone. What really matters is that you do it in a way that works and makes sense for you.

Nothing should be taken for granted.

You can learn through suffering as much as you learn through success. It’s harder to be complacent when you’re going through a divorce or splitting ways with your business partner.

Challenge your habits to switch up the routine.

You can switch up your routine in small but meaningful shake-ups. They may include walking new routes, talking to strangers, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Failures move you toward the fears and teach you a lot.

When you feel fear, it can be an indicator that you need to do things you’re afraid of. You train yourself to be ready for failure before you experience it, accepting the experience much easier.

Sometimes giving up control is helpful.

From time to time try to delegate some of your responsibilities to your staff. It may be the lead on the project, new inquiries to handle, or anything that can take you out of your comfort zone.

Try something new until you feel comfortable.

Keep trying different approaches until you are no longer scared of things you struggle with, then move towards the next uncomfortable thing. Always strive to make changes, big or small.

To Sum Up

We derive our reality from our perception. And only the borderlines of feeling comfortable limit our quality of life and define current circumstances, keeping us stuck. There is no ideal solution to shape your perception, but changing a small detail in your routine makes possible great changes in motivation, outlook, and self-estimation. I broke free from my limitations when I asked one of those quote-lovers (I mean the LinkedIn resume writers) to update my resume, still hesitating. It helped me not only to land the interview but to find new and bigger meaning in my life. I have taken the risk, and I won!

About the Author

Gillian Grunewald

Gillian is a talented writer with a strong research approach in the career field. Has over 12 years of experience in resume, LinkedIn profile writing and editing. Education Master of Fine Arts, Writing Eastern Washington University.