A good day to face some fears
“It’s a good day to face some fears”
This Dublin dog knows the benefits of leaving the comfort zone. And today is a good day for it.
Stress can be a good thing. Coasting through life securely in a comfort zone with no challenges can lead to boredom and a lack of fulfillment. On the other hand, too much stress can lead to the “panic zone” and health issues over time. An optimised life is a balancing act.
It’s important to develop self-awareness around your values, strengths, and challenges. This will help you find and inhabit your own Goldilocks zone, or growth zone, where you are able to feel challenged and yet overcome the (relatively) mild anxiety associated with productive levels of stress, aka “eustress”.
Inspired by the motivation dog in the Dublin park, let’s consider today the benefits of leaving and expanding your comfort zone:
Self-actualisation - when pushing yourself to do new things it is normal to sometimes fail and sometimes succeed, and in doing so you will achieve more of your potential, including in creative activities.
Develop a growth mindset - neuroscience now agrees that humans and our brains are continuously malleable and trainable. It’s always possible to learn and improve in any area and at any time of your life.
Build resilience - life isn’t predictable nor is progress linear. Expanding your comfort zone trains you to handle change and adversity with more adaptability and resilience.
Self-efficacy - the process of trial and error in achieving new goals helps to grow self-confidence and renewed belief in your own abilities.
“You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
- Brian Tracy
Recognising and seizing opportunities to push the comfort zone isn’t always easy. But as you develop your growth mindset and the habit of trying new opportunities, the potential benefits and positive changes in life can be profound.
What could you do to expand your comfort zone? Here are a few ideas:
A change in daily routine
Learning a new skill
Trying some new food
Starting a creative challenge
Joining a new group or activity
Being more honest, with yourself and others
If you feel an itch to shake things up in life, but aren’t sure how or in what ways, coaching sessions can be helpful. A good coach can help you to discover, clarify, and chart a manageable course towards achieving goals that feel right for you, whether short-term or long, personal or professional. Sometimes many of us just need an objective listener to bounce ideas off, and to hold us accountable!
Life is short, in the grand scheme of things. What kind of life would you like to look back on? You have the ability to be someone you’re proud of, and there is no better time to start than now.
As our canine friends know, it’s a good day to face some fears.
You can find some more info on comfort and growth zones in the article that inspired this post: https://positivepsychology.com/comfort-zone