The Cosy Comfort Zone

We see quotes like this on Instagram and Facebook every single day encouraging us to “STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE”.  While these quotes are always so motivational and inspiring, is actually doing what they say ever as easy as it seems?  

So what exactly is a comfort zone??   A comfort zone is a psychological, emotional and physical state where things feel familiar and we're totally at ease and in control of our surroundings.  When we're with family and friends we're chilled out and relaxed but if we're thrown into a room full of strangers we feel uncomfortable (well most of us anyway!).  When we go to the gym we may feel comfortable doing the same routine every time and then when we decide to go to a fitness class we feel totally out of our depth. If we take the kids to the hurdy gurdy's we might feel happy to take them on the flying chairs but start to sweat at the thought of going on the roller coaster.  

When we’re in our comfort zone we feel safe and secure.  We don’t feel under any threat.  We know where we are, who we're with and whats coming next.  We have low levels of anxiety and stress and we can perform at a reasonable enough level.  So why would any of us want to push our limits and make ourselves feel uncomfortable intentionally?  Why put ourselves through it?

Having a comfort zone is a really healthy thing and it keeps us safe but psychologists and performance specialists all agree that by stepping outside our comfort zones and by experiencing a little stress and anxiety every now and then we are able to grow and transform both physically and emotionally and our performance levels may be dramatically improved too!  Now that sounds a little more appealing… 

None of us are too fond of change.  It scares the hell out of us if we’re totally honest.  Probably the greatest fear we have is that we’ll fall on our faces, we’ll fail or maybe even get hurt in the process.  At the end of the day staying warm and cosy in our own little bubble is all well and good but just think about all the exciting new experience and challenges we could be missing out on if we never take a little risk or push ourselves just a little harder.

I totally stepped outside my comfort zone a few weeks ago when I started teaching my first independent Pilates class.  I’ve been teaching classes in Splashworld for some time now and they’re going really well but some how going out on my own scared the life out of me.  I spent the entire Sunday before my first class worried sick that no one would show up.  I questioned myself asking “why are you putting yourself through this stress”.  If I’m honest I told Liam how I was feeling and was half hoping he’d say “ah call it off girl.  Sher it’s just not worth it”.  Of course he didn’t say that.  Instead he very wisely said “going ahead is the brave thing to do”.  That one sentence pushed me on and I’m so glad I did.  I didn’t have a long queue of people waiting at the door but I had enough and I’ve been building on it every week since.

The feeling you get after doing something outside your comfort zone is pure magic.  It would have been so easy to walk away but what would I have learned or how would I have grown as a person?  The possibility is always there that you’ll fail but if you do just get up, dust yourself off and start again.  The key is to learn from your mistakes and allow them to be part of the learning process.

If you’d like any info on my classes, please feel free to contact me on 085 2788176.  As always I’d really value your feedback.  How have you stepped outside your comfort zone recently and how did it work out?  Leave me a message in the comments or message me on Facebook.

Have a great day J