Routines can be stable and comforting, but they can also turn stale and confining over time.
Doing something new and potentially frightening helps stave off burnout and is good for your brain.
But what is the comfort zone exactly?
Answering those questions is a tall order, but its not too hard to do.
It provides a state of mental security.
You benefit in obvious ways: regular happiness, low anxiety, and reduced stress.
The idea of the comfort zone goes back to a classic experiment in psychology.
This space is called Optimal Anxiety, and its just outside our comfort zone.
Too much anxiety and were too stressed to be productive, and our performance drops off sharply.
The idea of optimal anxiety isnt anything new.
Its our natural tendency to return to an anxiety-neutral, comfortable state.
you might understand why its so hard to kick your brain out of your comfort zone.
Even so, your comfort zone is neither a good or bad thing.
Its a natural state that most people trend towards.
Still, increased performance and enhanced productivity just sound like do more stuff.
What do you really get when youre willing to step outside of your comfort zone?
We lose the drive and ambition to do more and learn new things.
Youll have an easier time dealing with new and unexpected changes.
Youll find it easier to push your boundaries in the future.
Youll find it easier to brainstorm and harness your creativity.
The benefits you get after stepping outside of your comfort zone can linger.
There are also the soft mental benefits you get from broadening your horizons.
Everyones comfort zone is different, and what may expand your horizons may paralyze someone else.
Remember,optimal anxiety can bring out your best, but too much is a bad thing.
Take a different route to work.
Try a new restaurant without checking Yelp first.
Go vegetarian for a week, or a month.Try a new operating system.Recalibrate your reality.
Look for the perspective that comes from any change, even if its negative.
Dont be put off if things dont work out the way you planned.
Sometimes just defending your right to make an educated decision can push you out of your comfort zone.
Think, dont just react.
Trust yourself and make snap decisions.
Were contradicting ourselves, but theres a good reason.
Doing so can help you kickstart your personal projects and teach you to trust your judgement.
Itll also show you theres fallout to quick decisions as well as slow ones.
Do it in small steps.
It takes a lot of courage to break out of your comfort zone.
There are lots of other ways to stretch your personal boundaries.
Connect with people that inspire you, or volunteer with an organization that does great work.
Travel, whether you go around the block or across the globe.
If youve lived your whole life seeing the world from your front door, youre missing out.
The experiences you have may be mind-blowing or regrettable, but that doesnt matter.
Trying new things is difficult.
you’re gonna wanna come back from time to time to process your experiences.
The last thing you want is for the new and interesting to quickly become commonplace and boring.
you might fight this by trying new, smaller things.
Diversify the challenges you embrace so you dont just push your boundaries in the same direction.
You still get the challenge, but you broaden your horizons in a different way.
Then do something else interesting and new.
Make it a habit if you could.
Try something new every week, or every month.
Similarly, dont limit yourself to big, huge experiences.
Maybe meditation pushes you out of your comfort zone just as much as bungee jumping.
Try the former if youve already done the latter.
The goal isnt to become an adrenaline junkieyou just want to learn to learn what youre really capable of.
Thats another reason why its important to return to a comfortable state sometimes and just relax.
