Getting out of Your Comfort Zone
When my brother and I were younger we loved to swim during the summer. However, we both had different approaches as to how we entered the pool. I liked to jump right in. It was defiantly a shock at first, but I got used to the temperature fairly quickly. My brother on the other hand would slowly inch his way in. Step by step down the ladder, standing for a minute or two, then taking the next step until he was eventually in the water. I hated doing it like that because it took way to long and knowing the shock of the first step I never wanted to take the next. My brother couldn’t handle the shock of the temperature all at once so doing it made him immediately want to get out. I think it’s funny how we each handled getting into the pool because we tend to treat life and our comfort zones in the same way.
This post may not relate to everyone considering we all have a different way of approaching different situations so please take this however you may. Today I will be talking about comfort zones and working your way out of them. The “take it one step at a time, one day at a time” method does not work for me. I find it agonizing and torturous. So my advice, just take the leap, jump in and don’t worry about it. I promise you will adjust accordingly. The reason I do this myself is because getting out of my comfort zone is extremely scary to me. Once I take the first step, I know how anxious I will be, so once I get comfortable in that step, the anticipation keeps me in that place because I can’t bring myself to feel that anxiety again.
When I lived in Rhode Island, I never left my comfort zone. If I did, it was a very small step. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was too worried about what others thought or how scary it was. Since moving to Tennessee I’ve made great strides out of that mindset. Of course, it helped that I didn’t know anyone here. But instead of taking it “one step at a time”, I just went for the things I wanted. I woke up one day and said “just do it, who cares”. Once I leapt out of my comfort zone, I felt great, empowered even, like I was on top of the world, like I was finally living for me. I started to go to events alone, I started going to the gym during the busiest times, I even started to try new things that I thought were fun or interesting. After I got accommodated to this new feeling, I found myself just talking to people, meeting new friends, smiling more, creating this brand new energy within myself that I hadn’t felt before. I found that with this new energy, I learned who I was, what I wanted and what made me happy. Eventually, things just came naturally, I wasn’t forcing myself to do anything! I was finally living.
If I had taken the approach my brother does, my anxiety would be through the roof. I would have waited to go to the gym, inching my way to the busy times and I wouldn’t have made it past 8pm. I would have waited to try new things, hoping that I would meet someone that I could go with, so I could ease into it. I wouldn’t have met the people that I have because talking to new people is scary, what if I sound stupid? What if they don’t like me? “Well, talk to just one person today, ease your way in.” No, because now I know how nervous I was, I don’t want to go through that again! I even wouldn’t have had the courage to start this blog.
I understand this approach doesn’t work for everyone, I understand that talking to 100 people in a day sounds way more terrifying than talking to just one. But I’m an all or nothing type of person. Once I talk to one person, I feel ok, so I talk to another, and I feel better. Eventually I’ve talked to everyone in the building, I leapt in and adjusted to the temperature of the water so now I’m swimming comfortably. If my brother took this approach, he would be overwhelmed and need to leave to recharge almost immediately. He thrives in taking it one step at a time. Once he’s comfortable, he can take the next step with ease. We both end up in the pool by the end, we just got there in different ways, and that’s ok!
So, my advice? If taking it step by step isn’t for you, just take the leap and jump right in. It’s defiantly a shock to the system, but your body will accommodate quickly and you can finally start living!