Comfort zone in psychology. How to learn to get out of your comfort zone

Throughout our conscious life, we are faced with the need to change something, to make some important decisions, but we are hindered by the fear of the unknown. We begin to convince ourselves that everything is not entirely bad, and it is not known whether it will be better there ... We are afraid to seriously change something.

What is a comfort zone in psychology?

There are boundaries within us within which we feel good and safe. It is precisely these internal frameworks that force us to grab onto those relationships that have long outlived their usefulness, for positions and jobs that are not only uninteresting to us, but also do not bring a normal income.

These inner boundaries create a comfort zone. Let's see what it is?

The comfort zone in psychology is the area of ​​our living space that gives us a sense of security. Usually it is determined by habitual behavior, comfortable is what you are used to. Good in a world where everything is stable, familiar and predictable.

In fact, this is the state in which we feel comfortable. It would seem, well, what's wrong with that? Of course, nothing. In addition, it greatly hinders the development of something new, unknown.

To achieve something and do something, you need to get out of your comfort zone. Learning is always associated with going beyond its boundaries.

Beyond the comfort zone is the risk zone. A prerequisite for the development of personality is to go beyond the boundaries of comfort.

Usually young people are more willing to expand their comfort zone. If an ordinary person lingers in it for too long and does not do anything to expand it, then personal development stops there, degradation begins.

Such a definition gives a clear understanding that if we are interested in development, then we will inevitably have to overcome these boundaries.

How to determine the situation of being in the comfort zone for too long?

First, let's figure out how we can tell if we're overly stuck in our comfort zone. You will understand this by your own reaction to some new situation or circumstances. Perhaps you have just thought about it, but it already causes fear in you. I would like to note that the first reaction can be very different: anxiety, stress, fear, curiosity, interest. However, it is fear that is an indicator that the comfort zone is convenient for you - you do not want to leave it.

However, in order to expand your zone, you need to accept everything new and adapt to it.

Awareness

Psychologists say that life begins exactly where the comfort zone ends. To get out of it, you need to understand that you have been there for too long, as if hanging in this state. Until we ourselves recognize this fact, we will not be able to move anywhere. The important point is the very acceptance of this thought. There must also be a desire, an understanding that you just need to get out of this situation.

The comfort zone in psychology covers absolutely all spheres of life. It can be relationships that do not suit us, business, unnecessary and unloved work, home, city. All this is in our familiar zone, but it has not suited us for a long time, however, being afraid of change, we sit and do nothing in order to change something in our lives.

What is a comfort zone and how to get out of it so as not to harm yourself?

Realizing that we are stuck in one place, we need to act. The list of steps to be taken can be conditionally called a program of action. It is needed primarily in order to gently move from one state to another.

The first step is a challenge

The first step in overcoming internal boundaries will be the very process of setting the task. We must decide what we want to achieve, what result we need.

Suppose we realized that we are afraid and uncomfortable to get acquainted with a new environment of people. So, we will need to communicate with strangers as often as possible. This will be our task. The process should become more familiar, and therefore more comfortable.

The second step is the volume of the planned result

At this stage, it is necessary to formulate the volume of the planned result. These should be quite specific figures: what and how much I want to receive, by what date. As a rule, this is an expert assessment of oneself. If you formulate an ORM, it will help you to cope with the work more effectively.

How do we know if our comfort zone has expanded? Naturally, the criterion for success will be your peace of mind when making new acquaintances. In this case, the volume can be formulated as the number of new people in the environment. And at the same time, we denote the number of acquaintances per day. In general, it is logical to gradually increase volumes within reasonable limits. Even if all this does not immediately lead to a comfortable state, there will still be a positive effect.

The biggest trick in this case is that your attention is switched to doing a certain job, you do not focus on the very process of getting out of the settled state. The comfort zone is something to work on, it will not come by itself.

The third step is work

Work is nothing more than a gradual passage of all the planned steps. First of all, we have planned a program of activities for each day, our task is to follow the intended path. It will be good if you write reports on your daily activities, while analyzing the result and the process itself.

Fourth step - and work again

Yes Yes. We were not mistaken ... Again, work.

I would like to point out two points. Firstly, in order to expand the comfort zone, you must definitely work.

Secondly, it should be carried out consistently with a gradual increase in volume. This should not be forgotten.

Knowing what a comfort zone is and how to get out of it, people often make attempts to immediately jump over the stage they want to reach. And for some, it can even succeed, but for the greater mass it will end up with them not leaving the comfortable state at all, being afraid of mistakes. That is why it is important to gradually adapt to the new expanded zone.

A new habit, as a rule, is fixed exactly twenty-one days. Learning something new is also a kind of zone expansion.

We must make sure that we feel comfortable in an ever-increasing volume, then we will not run the risk of destroying absolutely all the results of our labors. Every step should be comfortable.

Fifth step - development of new territory

At this stage, the comfort zone is a new territory that has already been mastered. You can relax and enjoy life. Not forgetting that new territories and victories lie ahead.

Exercises and training

If a person is afraid of something, then he must certainly do it, this is the opinion of many psychologists. Having determined what a comfort zone is, and once expanding it, we must develop the habit and ability to correctly get out of it in any situation. And for this you need to overcome the fear of something new.

There are special exercises for these purposes:

1. You need to start by changing the usual little things. For example, change the schedule of the day, take a different route, shop at a new store, purchase unusual products.
2. Meeting a new person is a great way out of a comfortable state.
3. Then you can learn something that you did not know before. Embroider, knit, cook a new dish, play the guitar.
4. Watch a movie or read a book in a genre uncharacteristic for you.
5. Go on an unplanned trip, everything should be impromptu, without any prior preparations. You will get a lot of new impressions, and expand your comfort zone.
6. Visit a new location. For example, a new restaurant with unusual cuisine for you.
7. Put on new things, those that you would not dare to wear before. It can be extraordinary styles, colors.
8. Then you can do the rearrangement of furniture. Refresh your room with a new interior.
9. Take a ride in a minibus on a previously unfamiliar path.
10. And finally, come up with your simulators - situations.

Brian Tracy

In psychology, the name of Brian Tracy is widely known. He is considered the world's expert in success. He developed his own system for achieving it, and did it at the age of twenty-five. Since then, Tracy has written many books on psychology. He continues to work at the present time, conducting trainings and consultations.

What else is Brian Tracy famous for? The comfort zone is one of the topics he has worked on. His book Get Out of Your Comfort Zone is all about this topic. In it, he talks about twenty-one ways to increase personal effectiveness. Certainly, his work deserves attention.

Instead of an afterword

Speaking about the comfort zone, they do not mean those external circumstances that are convenient for a person, but they mean internal life boundaries, existing in which people feel safe. Sofa, massage, coffee give a feeling of comfort for one person, and another who is not used to it can be taken out of the calm zone. All these things are foreign to him.

Being comfortable isn't always helpful. People tend to get bogged down in unnecessary circumstances and relationships, but they, out of habit, feel quite comfortable and do not risk changing something in their lives, fearing that these changes will not lead to anything good.

Beyond the boundaries of the comfort zone is a zone of risk, possible trials and dangers. Not everyone is consciously ready to leave the usual comfort and get into unpleasant conditions. However, only in this way can a person develop. He certainly needs to periodically leave the comfort zone, he just needs to learn how to do it right, without harming himself. Gradually expanding the zone for himself, he will certainly be in it. You can't be uncomfortable all the time. Having learned to adapt, a person is easier to master new areas of activity. Getting out of the comfort zone is useful, it is a kind of shake-up and an incentive for further action and development.