When you’re not used to being confident, confidence feels like arrogance.
When you’re used to being passive, assertiveness feels like aggression.
When you’re not used to getting your needs met, prioritizing yourself feels selfish.
Your comfort zone is not a good benchmark.
(Dr Vassilia, The Minds Journal)
Is staying in your comfort zone tempting? Do you cling to familiarity even when it no longer serves you just because it’s the place you feel most comfortable, secure & safe? When you are met with a new situation that brings you fear do you stay put in your comfort zone? Are you afraid of the unknown?
We all have comfort zones and stepping out of them takes courage. Sometimes our thoughts and emotions restrain us from coming out of our comfort zones: “what if people laugh at me?”, “what if people reject me?”. Trying something new might make you feel vulnerable and risk taking but what are you missing out on by staying within your comfort zone? You could be missing an opportunity to grow yourself, meet new people, healthier relationship with a new partner, join new groups, miss out on a new exciting job or being more healthy. The more you overthink your fear the bigger it becomes and takes more control over you. Taking risks will feel like a real challenge and will feel uncomfortable. We need to be in control of our thoughts and emotions and work with the fear, not hide from it.
Unless we confront and overcome our fears, we remain in our comfort zone, repeating old patterns and old cycles, resulting in the same fears and limiting beliefs and our problems will never change.
As you start to work through these challenges your mindset will change to make the necessary shifts, enabling you to hold new beliefs. This helps you to tackle these challenges more successfully and over time you will feel happier and more confident.
Stay curious, confront your fears, come out of your comfort zone, reach your goals, grow and enjoy being the person you have become.
I am a fully qualified counsellor. If you feel you are unable to step out of your comfort zone alone, or if you would like support with any other issues, please contact me.
Melanie Sanders
Counsellor (MBACP Accredited)