Leaving Comfort Zones

Written by Alejandro Camacho

Revision by Edith Eunice Padilla

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In physics, Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion dictates that;

A body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

One cannot make progress by remaining still. However, there may be advantages and disadvantages on both sides. Might one stance be better than the other? Here are some of my insights.

Some people choose to stay as they are, while others see the benefit of challenging themselves and pushing past their limits. I would like to highlight some of the advantages and hindrances of the two fore-mentioned choices, and at the same, offer advice to encourage you to choose the latter.

Choosing Comfort

People could feel safe repeating long-time learned habits. Following a routine and doing only habitual things could sometimes be healthy, especially when a person finds him or herself going through a situation of tremendous amounts of pressure.

Staying in your comfort zone allows you to draw experience from areas you undoubtedly know well. Having already become attuned to the roadblocks or outcomes of your current situation will allow you to navigate them with dexterity and little to no distress. Essentially, you are able to recognize and even anticipate the threats and know how to avoid them or address them. This could promote a healthy self-assurance in approaching similar undertakings in the future since customary activities will not be as risky as new ones.

The ease that sticking to routinary tasks brings helps us free up more time and mental energy to not collapse in stressful situations. Without a doubt, there are convincing reasons for spending time in your comfort zone.

While new experiences can cause uncertainty and trepidation, staying in your comfort zone inspires confidence and could spare us anxiety. Based on this, one might want to assess if taking on new challenges is the right decision in your situation. It might be advantageous to stay on the same path for a season.

Taking the leap

Yet, if living in such a cushiony space comes from the mere unwillingness to grow or encounter affliction, it would surely be counterproductive as it could stifle us and leave us stagnant. Furthermore, it deprives a person of the joy that comes with progress.

One of the most compelling reasons to push outside your limitations is to broaden your abilities. When you embrace discomfort and uncertainty and start experiencing wins, not only do you improve your overall skill set, but you boost your confidence as well.

People willing to learn and fail at trying new things tend to have a more positive outlook on life. As we recover from failures, we build character and strength. Consequently, we usually end up feeling more optimistic towards ourselves despite the difficulty that all of this may constitute.

Certainly, there will be stages in which we will face struggles. We might get discouraged and tired. Particularly at the beginning, when every step is a new venture. We must not forget that sacrifices will surely pay off.

In my experience, we must learn how to strike a balance spending time in and outside our comfort zone. For personal growth, embracing change and enduring discomfort for some time is necessary, but for our wellbeing, we might want to opt-out of it for some time.

no pain, no gain.

It is often said, no pain, no gain. I believe that those who work hard and put in the effort are more likely to find motivation in the stamina that going after new endeavors brings to their lives, making them far more fascinating and enriched with exciting experiences.

To summarize, our comfort zone is a psychological, emotional, and behavioral construct. It's what's familiar to us and what feels safe—our regular habits and routines. Nevertheless, pushing out of it a little can create just enough motivation to ramp up your focus, creativity, pace, and drive.