Burst the Comfort Zone Bubble

Eleanor Roosevelt has a famous quote that you may have heard before:

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Every day can seem like a lot, especially for those of us who reside in the cushy walls of our comfort zone—an area where we feel at ease, with low-risk and low-stress factors. But what does the comfort zone give us? In this state of being, you aren’t learning new things or gaining new experiences. You are stagnant. Not to mention, it can get pretty boring in your bubble of comfort. When it comes down to it, staying in your comfort zone is short-sighted: while you may want to stay in your bubble now, a few years down the road you may regret that you didn’t take any leaps beyond it.

As early as 1908, scientists have studied a theory that there is an area between comfort and extreme stress—an anxiety sweet spot, you could say—where you are most productive and most receptive to new knowledge. Going beyond your comfort zone and embracing that anxiety may be just what you need to have new experiences that you may have never encountered. As you integrate productive discomfort into your life, over time, you’ll start to become more at ease embracing this anxiety, and will be less afraid to try new things and face risky challenges in the future.

Roosevelt just may have been onto something big. Follow her advice, and take on some of these challenges to bring some healthy discomfort into your life.

Disrupt Your Routine

Making small changes to your routine is a great way to start integrating some productive discomfort into your life. If you stop at the same coffee shop every morning before work, try a new place that you’ve never been to before (bonus points if you don’t look it up on Yelp beforehand). Set aside an hour every day where you don’t look at social media or your phone. Try taking a different mode of transportation places, such as riding a bike or taking the bus. Wake up half an hour earlier and take a morning stroll—you may find you see your neighborhood in a different light in the early morning (even when you’re looking through your groggy, half-asleep eyes).

Strike Up a Conversation with a Stranger

Some of us can naturally strike up a conversation with a stranger in any setting—with the lifeguard at the beach, with the sale associate at the mall, with the impatient people in line at the DMV. The rest of us weren’t born with that natural ability—but we can definitely pretend we were. Next time you see someone walking down the street wearing cute shoes, don’t just think it—tell her! If you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, find a topic of conversation to bring up to the person waiting behind you. You don’t have to have drawn out conversations about hopes and dreams with these people, but talking to someone new may just be the risk you need to bring you out of your comfort zone for the day. Plus, you never know what you may learn or who you may meet!

Try a New Activity

You don’t have to jump out of a plane to jump out of your comfort zone (but, hey, if that calls to you, by all means go for it), but you could try a new activity you would have never considered. Look for classes at the community adult education center. Join the recreational frisbee golf team. Grab a friend and practice portrait photography. Buy a journal and make it a goal to write in it every day. You may find out you have a talent you never knew about, or create new friendships with people you would have never met.

Beyond these tips, you can make a list of things that personally scare you, and try to do one as often as you can. A risk doesn’t have to be an extreme sport or a total overhaul of your lifestyle. Everyone has a different comfort zone, and it can be something minor that puts you in an uneasy state.

Stepping out of your comfort zone and facing the anxiety head-on can give you the confidence to take bigger risks that make you nervous, such as asking for that promotion, or initiating a new friendship with an acquaintance. It can also give you new views that can inspire you in many areas of your life. It’s important to remember that the comfort zone isn’t a bad place to be in. It’s your place to relax, reset, and reflect on the benefits you gained from stepping outside of it.

Without a comfort zone, there would be no place to step out of and take risks! But remember to take opportunities to venture into the area outside of your risk-free bubble, and let the new experiences roll in.