It feels good to spend time in your comfort zone. You feel safe and certain. Sounds pretty great right? But is staying in your comfort zone really that great? The answer to that is no. They always say that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Real adventure and excitement start when you step out of your comfort zone. But okay, you know you want to step out of your comfort zone. But there are a lot of ways to step out of your comfort zone and where do you even start? Today I give you a few tips, so you can start living again.
Ways to step out of your comfort zone
Do small daily activities you normally would not do
No, you don’t have to pack your things and move to the other side to step out of your comfort zone. I would recommend taking a small step first. Because stepping out of your comfort zone might be exciting, but it can also be scary. So why wouldn’t you start small? Try a new breakfast recipe, have a conversation with a stranger, take a different route to work or listen to a different artist. You never know what will happen if you do something small. Maybe you meet a new good friend, found a new favourite recipe or a new artist you actually like.
Change your usual habits and mix them up
If you go to the same supermarket every day, go to a different one this time. If you always work out in the morning, maybe you can try something new. Find a new workout routine. This way it is still pretty close to your comfort zone, but you also step out of it. If you always read a book every evening, read something different this time.
Learn something new
Maybe you have always wanted to learn a new language, buy books or use DuoLingo. Or maybe you want to learn how to play an instrument. Maybe you want to learn how to bake something from scratch. There are so many things you can learn. This way you learn something new, you have fun and you step out of your comfort zone.
Follow your heart
Everyone has dreams, but most of those dreams are out of our comfort zone. Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a book, but you are afraid of what everyone else is thinking. Maybe you want to move to a different country. Instead of dreaming, I would recommend taking action. Take the first step today. Maybe that means, you write just one chapter today or visit the country you want to move to.
Ask yourself why you are doing this
Staying in your comfort zone can become entirely predictable and boring. So that is already a good reason to step out of your comfort zone. But also ask yourself why you want to go on a blind date. Maybe this time you will find the love of your life. Or you want to learn to play the piano because you want to become an artist or have a new hobby. If you want to move to a different city, you will miss your old life but you will get better job opportunities and the chance to meet new people.
Take small steps
If your dream is really big, like writing a book or finding a whole new career, take it to step by step. The first step would be to write one chapter or go back to school for a new career. A big dream can feel overwhelming, but if you divide it into smaller goals, it will become easier for you. Suddenly it does not feel overwhelming to change your life.
Don’t overthink it and just do it
Sometimes you try something new, and you don’t like it. That is okay and completely normal. But to find out if you like it, you have to do it. If you want to learn a new language, just take the first step. If you’re afraid you will be bad at it or that you won’t like it before you even begin, you might never start doing it. Just try it at least once and if you don’t like it, let it go. Maybe go to a Zumba class and suddenly realize this is not for you. That is okay! At least you stepped out of your comfort zone and tried it.
A lot of people overthink everything they do or want to do. Or they have a date in a few days and suddenly they start to overthink it and don’t want to go anymore. As soon you realize you start to overthink, stop it and do something. Distract yourself. And know that overthinking is not a good thing. Normal thinking about something is good, but overthinking is mostly destructive. It will kill your happiness. Take more action, and stop overthinking.
Think positive and feel good
When you feel good and you mostly have positive thoughts, you find it easier to try new things. When you feel good and think positively, you don’t overthink everything and fear is not controlling you. When you feel happy, everything becomes easier including stepping out of your comfort zone. So I would also recommend working on your mindset and happiness. And feeling good is always nice, no matter what.
There are a lot of ways to become happier and calm yourself down. Meditation can help and journaling too. Try to have more fun, no matter what your situation is. You are in control of your emotions. Believe in yourself. You can totally do this.
Photo by Katie Drazdauskaite on Unsplash