Being comfortable feels good, but too much comfort can lead can to complacency.
We cannot grow in a state of comfort.
Becoming friends with discomfort will work in your favour and you should try to welcome it.
By no means am I suggesting that you should suffer. Lets be real, we all want the ‘soft life’ and I am not here to glamourise struggle and hardship.
However, in order for you to grow and develop as an individual, you must step outside of your norm and step into your Zone of Discomfort (ZoD).
So what is your norm? It could be a person, a place, or a routine, bascially anything that is familiar and gives you a sense of safety, such as:
- The home town you grew up in
- Your current job
- The relationships you have
- Your hobbies
- Your diet
- The films you watch
- Your daily routine
- The music you listen to
You may be thinking come on Sabrina, I like what I like for a reason! And I rather not change it because what I’m doing right now is serving me well. I agree, and that is nice.
But how do you know what else you like unless you go and find out for yourself?
Every single time, it comes down to awareness.
Are you aware that something different, as in outside of what you typically do may actually serve you well? We don’t question our current norm, because when we are comfortable, things feel fine.
Yet, fine doesn’t move, it is stagnant.
Living outside of your comfort zone is living with curiosity. There is so much to experience, countless places to explore and people to meet.
Doing what’s uncomfortable is growing as a person.
Entering The ZoD has biological benefits too, switching things up from the usual causes our brains to build new neural pathways and connections. And this process of rewiring is called Neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is important as it has a positive impact on our ability to learn. The more we challenge our mind and body, the longer our brains function at a high level through stronger and better connections.
Intentionally entering the ZoD provides the brain with the exercise (challenge) that it requires.
So here’s a few ways you can enter your ZoD:
- Take a new route to work/school/training
- Learn a new skill
- Go to the cinema alone
- Listen to music you don’t usually listen to
- Change your diet
- Take a break from social media
- Read something unusual
- When at home be without your phone for at least a few hours
- Cook a new dish
- Solo travel
- If the resources allow, move to another part of the country or even a new one for a while
The list is endless, we could all do something that’s a little uncomfortable.
At the very essence of the ZoD it is about self -discovery and learning more about your own capabilities.
I would like to encourage you to think outside of the box, wander in the unknown and to embrace all that is new.