The comfort zone is a term of psychology that characterizes the area of living space, where a person feels confident, safely, cozy. If otherwise, the comfort zone implies psychological security arising due to the preservation of the usual rhythm of life and, as a result, obtaining a predetermined result.
Why is it very important to constantly expand the boundaries of your comfort zone, how to do it and what will happen if you prefer the unexplored new well-known old one? All of this will learn from the following material.
What is the comfort zone?
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Every person has certain internal boundaries, within which it feels safe, protected. It is because of these inner frames that we often hold on for the exhausted, but such "comfortable" relationships or go to the unloved, but the usual work. Instead of trying to find something better in one or other spheres of life.
The comfort zone is formed by these internal borders. This is a part of our living space, within which we feel completely confident. As a rule, it determines the strategy of behavior in life, our habits, which ensures stability and predictability.
A condition in which a person is most convenient as possible.
At first glance, it may seem that there is no problem here. After all, what is terrible that a person just lives as it is comfortable and familiar?
On the one hand, really nothing. But on the other, as a result of such behavior, he deprives himself the opportunity to receive a new experience, develop, learn something new. That is, gradually degrades (if refuses to leave the comfort zone for quite a long time - years or even decades).
After all, any new achievements, receiving new knowledge, skills, skills, self-improvement always imply a way out for the usual framework.
Interesting! As a rule, at a young age, people with a greater hunt expand the zone of their comfort, over the years to do it can be problematic.
When people get stuck in the area of their comfort, without making any effort to expand her - the braking of their personal development occurs, degradation comes.
Based on what, it becomes clear that anyone interested in its development must periodically go beyond the usual framework..
What are scientists say
People always want to have some stability, definition in a conscious or unconscious level. Of course, it is always great when the events of life go along the familiar scenario, and there are no unexsessions. Unknown, on the contrary, causes a feeling of fear, anxiety.
Psychologists suggest that a person in order to be in a state of calm requires the satisfaction of basic needs (physiological, safety, accessories, recognition, self-expression). All of them describe the Pyramid of the Oil, compiled by a popular psychologist from the United States in the 20th century.
However, if a person is consistently located in the situation of security and peace, his personal development will stop. And stress in moderate quantity benefits, stimulating to increased productivity. This statement was confirmed by the scientifically in 1908 by the researchers John Dodson and Robert Yerks.
Scientists conducted an experiment with the participation of experimental mice, the results of which were proved to exist the level of "optimal arousal" providing productivity. So mice when they were given light tasks, they were activated only in cases of increasing the level of stress.
But the researchers also concluded that when a certain stress threshold was reached - the performance of mice was reduced.
That is, the conclusion was made that small controlled stimulation stress contributes to continuous development . We are talking about solving new tasks, making challenges from the world, expanding the usual comfortable framework.
And regular people face the choice - to stay on a familiar version or go more difficult, new way. In the first case, the outcome of the situation is known in advance, the feeling of security, confidence, but it is losing the opportunity to learn something new.
In the second case, there is always a risk of failure, defeat, but even unsuccessful experience will be useful for the development of the personality.
How to expand your comfort zone: recommendations
It became clear that it is necessary to leave the area of our comfort and it is necessary if you do not want to stay long ago at one level and start degrading. Then it arises quite a logical question how to do it?Immediately should make a reservation that every person has its own unique situation, so some of the recommendations may not come up. But you can select some universal tips that are given below.
Recommendation 1. Check a clear goal
It is she who will become the most motivation for you, for which it wants to make efforts and exit the usual border. According to psychologists, mostly people do not leave the comfort zone just like this - usually this is done with some kind of purpose. The degree of importance of the latter may vary, it is established by the person himself.
Anyway, if you are going to expand the framework of our comfort, it is necessary to consider a clear action plan. The more it will be taken into account the details - the better and more efficient.
Determine what specific points of the plan do not fit into your borders, faced with the greatest resistance. They should make the main focus of work.
Recommendation 2. Motivate yourself correctly
What would be new and unknown you do not want to do - get a different education, learn how to drive a car, learn a foreign language and so on, for all this it is required to have a clear motivation.
Check out the question: "Why do you need this achievement?". Do you want to increase your professional level, achieve recognition, get the opportunity to help people? Options may be a lot, you need to find the one that will "light up" you, giving enough strength to perform the conceived.
And the more global changes you are planning, the stronger the motivation will be required.
It is thanks to her fear and anxiety before possible difficulties are muffled, but the desire to actively appear. And with the help of sufficient motivation, you can get out of the usual area of comfort, making the minimum number of televitations.
In the absence of a particular motive, a person will have to constantly fight with him, efforts will seem unbearable and the big risk that in the near future you stop acting.
Sometimes, however, there are exceptions to the rules - we are talking about people who improve themselves without having a particular purpose, but simply to enjoy the process.
But then getting pleasure and is a motivation. Yes, and they do not leave the comfort zone, do not make much effort - because for them the knowledge of the new has already become the usual activity.
Recommendation 3. Be gradual
If for decades you lived on a specific rules, it would be naive to believe that they can be changed instantly simple effort of will. Of course not, you risk only to get strong stress and return to the original state, losing any motivation to action.
Therefore, the most correct decision - Make step-by-step, without sharp jerks and hard restrictions. Otherwise, your psyche starts greatly resist, and violence over yourself is definitely not the best option.
Move in the direction of your goal slowly, but confident. Gradually get new knowledge, expand the usual borders. It is for this reason that most psychologists use the term "expand the comfort zone", and not "leave it."
Because "leave" is sharply, thoughtlessly and, frankly, is ineffective. And "expand" is already about the awareness, the sequence and in total is a positive result. If you do not deviate from the scheduled course, of course.
How to start expanding the area of comfort without stressful injury? Start by changing elementary daily action. For example, you want to reset a couple of superfluous kilos.
It is possible to sit on the strictest diet, to argue yourself with hunger for a few days, and then break, jeight and add to the past weight another couple of kilograms. In parallel, earning a bad mood (or even depression) and disorder of food behavior.
And you can proceed differently: let's say a little to reduce the portion of carbohydrates and fats in the diet, as well as add moderate physical activity, without overwork. Start at least in order to always use the staircase instead of the elevator. Or go to work on foot (if the distance, of course, allows).
According to the result, you can feel the novelty to taste, but without strong stress. I will understand that the changes can be performed in a comfortable rhythm. Yes, and the result from them will be much more stable.
And then you can already go to a more complex level - for example, try to reduce the amount of sweet used every day to limited limits. Gradually, you get used to a new way of life and it will be comfortable for you.
I would like to notice that a considerable number of psychologists recommend to their customers never stop expanding the area of comfort, constantly studying and trying something new. This is done in order to maintain psychological flexibility, increasing the number of its capabilities and gaining greater pleasure from life.
Recommendation 4. Wake up without extremes
Again, as we remember, they still do not lead to anything good. And even can be potentially dangerous. In general, risk exactly anything. But it does not mean at all that you should not completely discontinue the actions towards your goal!Imagine that you suffer from increased anxiety and shy to perform in the public or just contact with unfamiliar people. But you have a goal to get on social work. If you do it sharply - there will be a strong stress.
Start with the Small - come to strangers in stores, on the street, ask them questions, train the skills of communication. Gradually, you will learn how to feel more and more confident.
Then you can start with small performances in front of the most close people. Then with unfamiliar. And gradually it is quite realistic to reach the level when you will completely stop scaring and embarrassing a large audience.
Recommendation 5. Do not complex about age
Young people are easier to expand the usual framework - they are addictive to the new one perceived with less pain.
This, of course, is a fact, but you can not forget about the individual characteristics of every person. After all, for example, the type of nervous activity strongly affects how flexible or rigid internal borders. And it is not at all related to passport age.
And maybe you yourself know very active pensioners who lead such a bright and rich life that the peers of their children and even grandchildren may envy! Moreover, as there are so conservative young people who are with great difficulty are solved on new changes in the usual lifestyle.
In general, you do not need to be upset if you are a little thirty. " Yes, and even if you are not different in great psychological flexibility - also do not be discouraged - just start with small, be consistent and rejoice even to small changes.
In conclusion
It is possible to sum up that the comfort zone is a familiar and well-familiar area of confidence, security and security. In it we feel the most comfortable.
But the refusal to expand comfortable boundaries inevitably leads to the degradation of the personality (which is scientifically confirmed by the results of experiments). A small Controlled stress (associated with the fear of a new, unfamiliar, the need to perform new actions) stimulates development and increases productivity.