What makes you feel comfortable & secure on a daily basis? comfort zone
Going to work? Talking to your spouse/significant other/best friend? Having lunch/dinner at a certain time?
As defined by Wikipedia, the comfort zone is a psychological state in which a person feels familiar, at ease, in control and experiences low anxiety and stress. In the zone a steady level of performance is possible.
What does that mean?
Basically, we (humans) naturally work to stay in our comfort zone to feel less anxious and more in control. Realistically, leaving your comfort zone for even a short amount of time, can challenge your thought process, and help you be more productive or reach the ‘next level’ by challenging yourself in different ways.
Allowing there to be a little bit of anxiety will actually allow you to be more productive– think of it as energy. You will be able to deal with new situations and unexpected changes, listen to your intuition more clearly, harness your creativity, and push yourself further whether it’s physically or mentally.
Trying new things can help us approach the world and our daily lives differently, allowing us realize that there are many ways to approach relationships of all types from professional to romantic.
Ways to Break Free from your comfort zone.
Start Small
Take a different route to work, go to a new market and make a meal from ingredients you have never cooked with. Go to a dance/music/yoga class that you have thought about (if even for a second) and just try it out. What’s the worst that will happen…you are uncomfortable for an hour? So what, you don’t ever have to go back & you can be proud that you tried something new!
An Unexpected Adventure
In 2015 at a (somewhat) boring work conference I met a fellow co-worker and yogi. Right away we connected, and she told me about a 200 hour yoga teacher training she was going to in Nicaragua. I thought – well that sounds cool, I like travel, I like yoga, I like escaping Chicago in the winter…sign me up!
After reading about Nicaragua, where we would stay, and what we would learn, I was even more excited and started to plan for my journey #citygirlinthejungle.
Now of course, as easy as the decision was, the closer my departure date got the more anxiety and doubt started to set in. The idea of sharing a small space with other people, various bugs, and overall fear of the unknown would keep me up at night, but taking that trip allowed me to expand my mind, body, and soul.
Making Connections across the Globe.
There were men & women from all over the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe at this training, and guess what – all of us were out of our comfort zone in some way. You know what else? We all survived and even thrived in our time together. If I had not gone out of my comfort zone, many wonderful experiences would have been missed.
Taking this leap has also connected me (a girl from the Midwest) with Lucia Yoga Retreats in the South of Spain!!! Not only have I dreamt of visiting Spain for almost a decade, but now I get to go and teach with others expanding on our techniques and further growing our global yoga community.
Find your Opportunity
If reading about leaving your comfort zone has piqued your interest in trying out something new, GREAT I say Go For It! Check out that new restaurant, go to a networking event, have coffee with a new acquaintance.
Please check the website of Lucia Yoga Retreats if you would like to know more about them.
I am honored to be partnering with them August 27th through September 1st in 2017 for a retreat in their beautiful Grenada Retreat Centre. You have 1 year to prepare and dream about this great adventure which will definitely provide you with the space and time to expand your horizons. Please feel free to email me with any questions stretchandbreathewithme@gmail.com
