100 ways to get out of your comfort zone. Benefits of getting out of a comfortable space. Work on yourself

Most people living on earth have one thing in common - they live in their own comfort zone, which they do not seek to leave. At the same time, most successful people unites the opposite quality - they force themselves to leave it daily. The question arises: what is a comfort zone and why is it dangerous for the development and self-realization of a person?

What is a comfort zone

The term "comfort zone" is known today to almost everyone. Nevertheless, despite some positivity of the name, psychologists consider this phenomenon dangerous for self-development and self-improvement of a person. The comfort zone is the area living space people, which gives them a sense of security, safety and maximum convenience. We can say that this is their daily world - habitual actions familiar activities, familiar surroundings. This is the world of a particular person, in which everything is familiar to him, everything is stable and everything is predictable. However, the comfort zone is not the same. ideal state and the conditions he dreams of for himself.

comfort zone danger

A dangerous comfort zone is considered because a person stops there and does not strive to achieve something more, as he is afraid to take risks or does not want to deprive himself of the existing state of calmness and habit. It would seem, what could be bad besides the lack of self-development? Psychologists point out that staying in the comfort zone for too long leads to the extinction of the human personality, the appearance and loss of the meaning of life.


The comfort-discomfort-panic zones of an entrepreneur (left) and his typical subordinate (right).

Why you need to step out of your comfort zone

Why is it worth stepping out of your comfort zone?

Firstly, being in the comfort zone for a long time makes a person soft: he relaxes and lives “on the machine”. Such a state appears negative impact to the brain. No need to solve new challenging tasks leads to the fact that the clarity of thinking disappears, the level of learning decreases, and the mechanism responsible for making decisions degrades.

Secondly, a person begins to give up his life goals. Almost every person in the depths of his soul has some kind of cherished dream. For the most part, they are doable. However, there are always some obstacles in the way of achieving them. Overcoming these obstacles is possible only if the necessary efforts are made. A long stay in the comfort zone relaxes a person, and he puts off his goal for later. As time passes, this goal becomes less and less achievable, as it becomes more and more difficult for a person to force himself to start working towards realizing his dream. In other words, he begins to be content with what he has.

Thirdly, a person may never know his true self. Psychologists believe that the true abilities of a person are revealed only in difficult conditions, with the maximum exertion of his strength. The comfort zone is practically the antonym of difficulty, as it implies habitual life a person, for the maintenance of which he can live "on the machine". Accordingly, without getting out of it, he runs the risk of never understanding what he is really capable of and how talented he is.

Exercises for getting out of your comfort zone

Psychologists offer a number various exercises aimed at combating the fear of the new and at facilitating the exit from your comfort zone. Some of them:

1. Fight against daily habits: you can choose new route to work or study, another store for daily shopping, change the usual product range, etc.

2. New acquaintances. This is one of the most common fears and at the same time one of the most effective way exit from the comfort zone. It does not matter where, when and with whom to meet. The very fact of meeting a new person is important.

3. Registration for new courses, trainings, clubs. Almost every person at least once in his life had a desire to learn something new, which he refused because of fear of the unknown and inconvenience. At the same time, going and signing up is a wonderful simulator for getting out of your comfort zone.

4. The choice of an unusual genre of music, cinema, film.

5. Unplanned trips.

6. Choosing an unusual place for a walk, for meetings with friends. For example, you can go to an unfamiliar restaurant, and not to your favorite place.

7. Change of style in clothes: choosing not comfortable, but unusual clothes, other colors is also one of the most effective exercises.

8. Rearrangement of furniture, etc.

Thus, the comfort zone is a phenomenon dangerous for a person’s personal growth, beyond which the development zone begins. Getting out of it contributes to the self-improvement of a person and makes life more intense and interesting. So go ahead, and do not put off your dreams for later! ;)

You have probably heard more than once that you need to get out of your comfort zone more often, because this is extremely useful for development. But what is a comfort zone and what do we really know about it, except for the following fact:

Caption: On the right is your comfort zone, and on the left is where miracles happen

So, what is a person's comfort zone and why should we get out of it?

In science, the "comfort zone" is defined through the concept of anxiety, namely: "The comfort zone is a type of behavior in which anxiety is kept at a consistently low level." Imagine that you are cooking dinner, driving to work or watching TV: these daily activities do not make you anxious or uncomfortable, you do them automatically, they are your comfort zone. This is what the comfort zone means in psychology.

Sometimes, when people talk about getting out of your comfort zone, they mean “try something new,” but in general, this applies to all situations in which you feel insecure or nervous. So, if you get stuck in a traffic jam on your way to work or you don’t like the fact that the train is crowded with people, then these familiar situations are no longer neutral for you, and you experience discomfort. In this case, why step out of your comfort zone, and what good is that?

While we all strive for pleasurable sensations, a certain level of discomfort can be surprisingly beneficial. Even the smallest inconvenience can push us to finish the work as soon as possible or improve the quality of its implementation.

A study conducted in 1908 showed that mice, when faced with very simple tasks, increased their productivity only when the level of anxiety increased. When the task turned out to be difficult, the anxiety state helped only to a certain level - after reaching a certain threshold, the combination of complexity and anxiety led to a drop in performance.

The figure above shows that the growth zone is located outside the comfort zone, however, with a significant distance from it, excessive anxiety appears, which can lead to a panic state. This illustration clearly explains the results of the experiment with mice. It is worth thinking about how to get out of your comfort zone with benefit.

How do we behave in the face of uncertainty?

Uncertainty is often the cause of discomfort. You are calm when cooking dinner or driving a car, but only on the condition that you do it every day and know what to expect. However, if you decide to try new recipe, got behind the wheel for the first time, or maybe you get another job or want to jump out of a parachute, you are guaranteed an alarm.

Uncertainty can also cause you to react more strongly to negative experiences. Studies have shown that when negative images were preceded by uncertainty, they produced a stronger negative effect than when participants were prepared and knew what to expect.

For the same reason, people tend to react negatively to any change, even if they end up making it themselves. What happens if you step too far out of your comfort zone? American researcher Brené Brown believes that uncertain social, political or economic conditions significantly narrow our comfort zone: the more scared we are, the less we are confident and tomorrow and the more difficult it is to get rid of this condition.

Thus, for the human psyche, striving for familiar and familiar things, any uncertainty is a reason to be wary. From an evolutionary point of view, this behavior is explained by considering familiar situations as safer: “Hey, we tried this and didn’t die. Probably if we try the same thing again, nothing bad will happen.”

Therefore, thinking about the unknown takes a lot of energy, and in case of fatigue or loss of strength, we would rather go the usual way than try something new.

Going beyond

So, how to leave the comfort zone and is it worth it? Is it really good for you? Scientists say yes, but up to certain limits. Like the mice in the experiment, don't stress yourself too much to avoid panicking.

Consider the main benefits of getting out of your comfort zone.

Self-development

A positive attitude and hope for success, combined with some anxiety and self-doubt, can lead you to personal growth. Therefore, sports such as rock climbing or skydiving are often recommended in lists of tips on how to take a person out of their comfort zone: you are nervous and worried, but at the end you have a huge sense of satisfaction that you have done it, and this increases your confidence in yourself.

Expanding your comfort zone

If you have a small comfort zone, that is, there are only a few things that you can do without worry, you risk living your life in fear and missing out on a lot of interesting things. Getting out of your comfort zone more or less regularly, you will gradually increase the number of familiar and familiar situations for you.

In this way, you will be able to enjoy life much more, because well-known things are pleasant in themselves, even if at first we felt uncomfortable in mastering them.

Novelty motivates us and helps us learn

A new experience leads to an increase in the level of dopamine in the brain, which is part of the "reward system". This hormone makes us look for rewards, and new situations increase this craving. Novelty has also been shown to improve our memory and learning abilities by making our brains more flexible.

Daniel H. Pink, author of work on motivation and workflow, in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Makes Us Take Action, says that we all strive for some ideal level of discomfort in which we can to be as productive as possible.

This golden mean, when discomfort does not allow you to unnecessarily relax and tones up, without depriving you of the desire or opportunity to work, is what you should strive for. By getting used to a little inconvenience, you will successfully expand your comfort zone. Now you know what it means to step out of your comfort zone and how to do it.

How far are you willing to go beyond the usual boundaries? It's up to you. Perhaps, after reading this article, you will decide to try something fundamentally new in life. The most important thing is to maintain a healthy balance between safety and comfort, and then you are guaranteed the pleasure of life's experiments.

There is a joke: smart people who advise you to get out of your comfort zone, first explain how to get into it. The habitual lifestyle is first of all a routine, the absence of changes. It seems that it is worth abandoning the old way of life, and the world will collapse. Many long years go with the flow: continue to live with a tyrant husband, fear public speaking, do not argue with superiors, do not travel and do not dream. Is such a life joyful?

1. Determine if you are fooling yourself

Let's say you don't like speaking in front of an audience. Instead of overcoming fear and appreciating the benefits of meeting new people, communicating with like-minded people and arguing with opponents, you begin to look for excuses for your phobias.

You say: “Participation in this event is not so important”, “You can do work without participating in public events”, or “Networking is not for me, I'm an introvert”. There is some truth in these statements, you are afraid of public speaking, but do not want to admit it to yourself.

To determine if you are fooling yourself, ask the question: “Would I like to do what I refuse, provided that the situation is absolutely comfortable and stress-free? Would it be nice or useful for a career? If yes, then you are afraid. Once you realize this, you can move on.

Now you need to identify one or more reasons why you need to do what you are afraid of. Think about how this business will contribute to the realization of your goals, career and personal growth. The benefit of performing an uncomfortable action is a great motivator.

2. Create a plan

Realizing the fears, you can take action, but it is better to show wisdom and patience. You run the risk of not getting the desired result if you do not think over a change strategy.

Determine what is the most difficult in your situation. Then the steps that will lead to the goal. You can go to the goal in different ways. For example, to develop a business, make contacts with the right people. You are an introvert, and the mere thought of a crowded event makes you feel bad. However, apart from participation in exhibitions and conferences, there are other ways to meet and communicate with potential partners. For example, by phone and arrange a meeting for a cup of coffee in a quiet cafe. Instead of being afraid, you take control of the situation and adapt it to your own characteristics and preferences.

3. Find a mentor

Even if you have a plan, you may need help, inspiration, approval, and Feedback. Contact a coach, you can ask a friend or colleague. A mentor will help you determine the difference between your behavior in a familiar situation and how you act outside your comfort zone. He will discuss with you the options for the development of events and tell you what to do if the situation is out of control, pay attention to weak spots, will help to adapt the behavior to a particular situation and simulate the upcoming conversation or activity.

Let's analyze in this article such a really important topic as a personal comfort zone and how to get out of it. And also why you need to regularly leave your comfort zone to achieve success in life. So what is comfort zone? This is the totality of all your routine actions that you do every day without any special strain on this matter. That is, this is what we are used to and are already doing almost automatically. A comfort zone is a place where we are relatively comfortable, where we feel safe and at ease. This comfort zone is different for every person. Someone is afraid to fly on an airplane and every flight on vacation abroad for such a person is a way out of the comfort zone. But if we take, for example, an experienced airline pilot or a flight attendant, then for them flights have already become so familiar that they are a comfort zone for them. When we don't step out of our comfort zone too for a long time, then any unpleasant situation has such an impact on our lives severe stress that we can feel a panic state and even a feeling of despair. Therefore, a person unconsciously strives to make sure that, to the best of his ability, he does not allow uncomfortable situations for himself. Is it bad or good?

It's definitely bad. After all, when you are not comfortable, you begin to develop. It is at the moment when you leave your comfort zone that your body, so to speak, begins to fight and try to adapt to new conditions so that, no matter how cool it sounds, to survive. Everything is very simple. Imagine such an example. When you do not load your muscles, you weaken every day, they begin to grow decrepit without loads, because why do you need them strong and powerful if you never use them. It's getting a kind of zone comfort for them. However, if you start going to the gym or at least doing exercises, then the muscles are immediately plunged into conditions under which they have to be fully loaded and their strength and endurance are not enough even for one full-fledged workout. If such a load on the muscles is given regularly, then they begin to grow and get stronger, both strength indicators and overall endurance increase.

Absolutely similar processes occur in all spheres of our life - in work, personal life, communication with people, and so on. It seems that everything is clear and easy, you can draw conclusions and firmly decide for yourself that from now on we will start regularly leaving our comfort zone. However, not all so simple. Not every person can do this, because there are psychological protective barriers in their head that must be destroyed before you can act. It is best to destroy them with the help of the good old way - to do what you are afraid of, to do what is laziness, what is not comfortable. Literally force yourself to step over these protective barriers. Yes, it is not easy and will require a certain amount of determination from a person. I just need to tell myself that I will do it and do it.

After you have successfully finished with the comfort zone, you will find euphoria from your courage, pride in yourself. This feeling will be with you for a while, gradually fading away. However, it is important to have time to get out of the comfort zone again until this feeling is completely gone, otherwise you will have to face stronger internal barriers. By doing this exercise regularly, you will force your whole body to work harmoniously and hard for overall success. It is in this way that all internal reserves are activated and you will even become a little happier, because the whole fullness of life will be felt more sharply.

You don't have to go out of your comfort zone so often that the roof goes. Take small steps, but regularly, manage to restore your inner balance with periods of rest, but do not stay too long in comfort so as not to start degrading again. The key to success is persistence. In the constancy of perseverance with which you strive to improve your life.

Over the years, it becomes more difficult to make any drastic changes in your life. But this is by no means a reason to retreat, because it happens that, in his youth, a person is easy to climb, some changes, and actions, he is not afraid to take risks. But there is really no brain and all this quickly stops and passes without proper results. And over the years, a person acquires a clear vision of life, and having regained the opportunity to leave his comfort zone, take risks, overcome fears, he can much more competently dispose of this skill and not lose it, but constantly maintain it in himself.

In general, getting out of the comfort zone is difficult only if a person has been in it for too long. If a person develops as a person, then he tries to look at all things positively, including the changes that he makes. Here, as they say, there would be a desire, but there is a way. If a person has a goal that he really wants to achieve, then regardless of any obstacles, obstacles, he will act. The whole point here is that really - you need to really want strongly. And then the exit from the comfort zone will be as easy and relaxed as if you go to the toilet when you feel like it.

You must clearly understand that leaving the comfort zone should not fatally hit your life. When taking risks, you must clearly assess all risks. After all, the main ultimate goal is not only to develop as a person, but also in parallel with this, to take new heights in life. And if you get out of your comfort zone in such a way that all your future life, then it is best to refrain from such a step. All your risks should be fully justified, you should eventually get the desired result after n-th number of attempts. And you need to start small, gradually moving towards bigger goals. And it is very important to always start with the easiest tasks and never stop after that. This is the secret of success.

You can start expanding your personal comfort zone by trying something new, pleasant. Or buy yourself something. Or do something that you have long wanted to, but kept putting off. Setting goals for yourself is exciting, especially at the moment when you start to really achieve them, over and over again more and more difficult goals work out for you. And suddenly you realize that all your goals are achievable, and you achieve new heights in life day after day. This makes you feel your strength, which is increasing day by day. how your self-confidence grows. And already with this baggage you can really move mountains. However, it is important at the same time not to overestimate your capabilities and not take on obviously unattainable tasks, they can undermine your will and self-confidence, so just drop the whole thing. By slowly starting to change your most ordinary, but well-established habits, you will begin to smoothly and imperceptibly prepare yourself for more serious and important changes that will help you seriously take your life to a new level.

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Welcome to the amazing and useful website Success Diary! 🙂

The inner state of mind of a person in which it is pleasant to be is called comfort zone.

It does not allow a person to fulfill his dream, makes him degrade and takes away the desire to realize his potential!

Internal is the important word here.

The same items outside world for different people may be interpreted in different ways.

For example, for one, expensive coffees, teas, cigars, luxury furniture, an expensive car that he uses every day have become familiar - he is no longer impressed.

For another, all of the above may be just a dream to which he aspires.

In other words, comfort zone- this is:

    Settled habits.

    A person does not develop at all, being in a familiar and familiar environment, rooted in a comfort zone.

    stereotypes of behavior.

    A person begins to act automatically, performing the same actions day after day, ceasing to feel and perceive the reality surrounding him with his own mind.

    Thought patterns.

    A person becomes a consumer of everything ready.

    He becomes too lazy to think.

Per comfort zone there is a completely different "side of the coin" - a zone of uncomfortable and unusual behavior.

Leaving one zone and getting into an unfamiliar atmosphere, a person learns to live anew, to feel anew, to make vital decisions.

Therefore, one has to look for new life guidelines (support points) in order to new world became much clearer and easier.

The state in the opposite zone can be compared with the process of growing up a child!

How to get out of the comfort zone? Ways out:


Everyone will have to leave a comfortable stay.

It's all about when and how he can get out.

Prepared or thrown out of a cozy shelter to the mercy of fate.

The second way to go beyond the ordinary existence is more traumatic for the soul: stress, depression.

Life circumstances or changed conditions force a person to drastically change the course of his routine life, which entails a considerable threat to health.

To avoid such sudden changes in life, it is better to independently accept conscious decision choose the first way out of the "gray" consumer existence.

Then all changes in life will proceed in a milder form with a sparing effect on the psyche.

“If you always set limits on what you can do physically or mentally, you might as well be dead. It will spread to work, to morality, to life. There are no borders, only horizontal areas of stabilization. But you can not stay on them, you need to go beyond them. If it kills, then it will kill.”
Bruce Lee

97% of people 2/3 of their lives hope that they have everything ahead of them!

Enough childish illusions!!!

Here are 5 tips that will help you get out of your comfort zone and achieve your goals!

    Go to a course or a weekend club!

    Do not be lazy, but look on the Internet, in newspapers - interesting courses in your city.

    Find what you like and go to new acquaintances and exciting activities.

    And one more thing… don’t just sign up for courses, but attend them regularly!

    Go on an unplanned trip!

    Set aside a couple of free days for yourself to go on a short trip.

    All you have to do is choose the route of the trip and take the necessary things .. EVERYTHING!

    No more planning needed.

    Just on the road, think about your time, what you will do, where you will go ...

    With this method, you can get out of your comfort zone and get unreal impressions! 😉

    Take on new tasks, for example at work!


    Take on a specific project!

    And do not just work on it, but try to bring something new, unconventional into it, so that things go like clockwork!

    Go in for sports! If you are engaged, then increase the load!

    Everyone knows that physical exercise add self-confidence, health, self-esteem and of course!

    Are you not into sports yet?

    Then it's your time to change something in life and start putting yourself in order!

    Set goals that will completely change your life!

    In our case, you need to take on a goal that will help change you and your life-being!

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