Leaving your comfort zone

These last few days I have been watching various life forms facing conditions different than usual. Change in living conditions often results in stress. As we all know, stress is an integral part of life, but for the sake of good health, it has to be reduced to moderate intensity. This made me think a little bit more about possibly stressful situations in our everyday lives –and what caught my attention was a hot topic of getting out of a comfort zone.

Experiences that are out of our comfort zone are exactly that – not very comfortable, right? Or maybe there could be another view of that idea.

Getting out of a comfort zone is quite paradoxical. Think about the last time you had an experience that was way out of your comfort zone;
– maybe it was traveling alone and you are used to always having company 
– maybe it was speed dating or speed networking and you are an introvert
– maybe it was learning something new and you don’t like to feel like a rookie
– maybe it was going to a cafe or restaurant alone
– maybe it was entering among new people, and you are used to being in a familiar environment 
– or perhaps it was a combination of those, like starting a new hobby with an unknown group of people

The thing is, experiences that are out of our comfort zone are usually not very pleasant at the beginning, but they often evolve into something immensely valuable.

New things provoke unusual feelings, feelings we don’t have when we are somewhere familiar. A rush of adrenaline, a faster heartbeat, that funny feeling in our chest or stomach. Thoughts full of questions, full of our unrealistic predictions and what-ifs. 

We may feel lost, confused, anxious, scared, like we’ve lost solid ground under our feet.

And I don’t know about you, but all those feelings are exceptionally uncomfortable to me – feeling anxious, feeling this heavy, spiky pressure in my chest and stomach is not something I would readily run towards.

But I’ve learned something.

Things that I did that were out of my comfort zone… I didn’t feel well while diving into them. Most of the time I felt scared, and I had my doubts. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it right. I thought I wasn’t ready. I was anxious. I wanted to go home. I once even cried on the telephone saying through my tears I wanted to go home. I felt unprepared, and I was convinced my abilities were insufficient in those new situations.

But I survived and I made it – every – time. I not only made it, but those experiences were some of the most memorable experiences in my life.

That time I, an introvert, was a part of speed networking? I successfully talked and laughed with 50 people in 50 minutes.

That one time I cried on the telephone wanting to come back home? Ten days later, I didn’t want to leave, and people who had been strangers from all parts of the world now felt something like a family.

You see, those situations are strange to everyone involved. I think nobody feels completely cozy and prepared for that, but that is the thing – we are all equally vulnerable and exposed. In those new, strange, uncomfortable situations nobody has a safety net. And vulnerability – it is the beginning of magic.

And then, experiences that were out of our comfort zone at the beginning, evolve into experiences that are the mere source of comfort.

The source of new understandings, and new ideas. New skills and new knowledge.
New friendships and a new understanding of human nature.

We will maybe even find new parts of ourselves, and see ourselves growing, evolving, and changing for the better. Oh, and that is quite a gem.

That moment when you see yourself growing when you thought you were already all grown up.

That moment when you meet a new part of yourself when you thought you have already seen all of your colours – that is incredible.

That moment instantly shows me that I still don’t know my limits, and that I still have endless ways and possibilities to grow, and shine, and fly.