It's so easy to be comfortable. The feelings associated with comfort feel nice, welcoming…and well, comfortable. However, life may throw things at you and force you to step outside of your comfort zone. When that happens, your mind can go into a stressed out, overwhelmed frenzy with anxious thoughts like:
- Am I going to be ok?
- How am I going to do this?
- I can't do this.
- I'm never going to feel ok again.
With these thoughts come depression, hopelessness, and helplessness.
You can combat these thoughts though.
- Accept that stepping out of your comfort zone is scary, but necessary for growth and learning new things.
- Remember times when you have done this in the past and have succeeded. Think about when you arrived at your first sports practice, your first day at a new job, or even the first day of school. In each of those moments, you were stepping outside of your comfort zone to do something that you have never done before.
- Realize when you step outside of your comfort zone, you give yourself room to grow and experience new things that you never have before. Some of these experiences can even be learning experiences. All of which are so valuable in making you who you are and who you will become in the future.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be scary; but facing those challenges with confidence and an open mind can lead to new and exciting opportunities.
