Today is tuesday and that means I’ve got a couple tips coming your way. Today I want to share with you 5 unique ways to step out of your comfort zone. These are things that will help us stretch ourselves as we continue to step out of comfort and into the unfamiliar. (If you would like to read more about this idea, and some of my personal story, my post “Dare To Try Something New” is up on the blog and you can find more info there.)
Let’s begin!!
Step 1. Write It Down-
This might seem simple, but once you try it you will realize how uncomfortable this can be. Try writing down the things that make you most fearful or uncomfy. Not only does this take A TON of self reflection, but it takes a lot of courage to be truly honest with yourself.
Step 2. (Pt. 1) Being Okay With Independence-
This step is dependent on the level of independence you already naturally have. Maybe you have to go to the store alone for the first time, or get coffee by yourself. Maybe it will take making a big decision on your own or taking your own initiative to change your career. Whatever this takes, stretching your own independence is a great way to step out of your comfort zone and learn about yourself. (Pt. 2) Being Okay With Dependence-
This is very much out of my comfort zone. I like being independent, but depending on someone can be very challenging. This concept walks along the line of being able to trust people more and allowing yourself to be dependent on them. Another hard aspect of being dependent is our pride. We don't want to depend on people because it's to hard to ask for help. Learning to grow in this area really expands our capacity to have deeper relationships.
Step 3. Switch Up Your Habits-
This just puts me so far out of my comfort zone because I love schedule and routine. For me this looks like, doing school work at Starbucks instead of my couch so I can meet people. Or maybe I have choose to work out right after work before I sit on the couch. Things like this make your routine uncomfortable at first, but it will allow for you to take baby steps into the "uncomfortable zone".
Step 4. Do Not Complain -
This one is incredibly difficult. All we want to do is complain when things are not going our way. It's also easy to submit to complaining when everyone around us is doing it. If we keep ourselves focused on the positive, this can make other people and ourselves pretty uncomfortable. We have to make the uncommon substantial change, and others have to listen to it. For example, when someone is complaining at work you can care about their needs and listen, but do it without adding to the complaints. If you can end the conversation with a "I love my coworkers" or "On the bright side..." type of response you encourage others and yourself to be more positive, which is culturally uncomfortable.
Step 5. Try New Things-
I know this is repetitive, but let me give another perspective. If you like a certain music, try the opposite genre. If you only eat a certain food, eat something you've never tried. If you only sit at the same table for lunch everyday, move to a new one. This habitual small things are good to us because we've chosen them, clearly. We pick the "best form" of things we like. Interestingly enough, just like our tastebuds change, our interests change too! So if we aren't continuing to try other things we might never know if there is something we may now enjoy more than before. Keep trying!
Thanks for reading! I hope you feel challenged and equipped to take steps, big or small, out of the comfort zone. If you liked this post, give it a like. Let me know what you do to walk out of comfort and try new things! Have an amazing rest of your week.
-Sophia Marie