Have you ever been in a new situation or started a new project that felt super uncomfortable? Were you so far out of your comfort zone that it made you want to quit? If so, you are not alone!
We’ve all been in that place where it seems easier to go back to the old comfortable way instead of facing this super uncomfortable new place we’ve found ourselves in.
Moving Beyond Comfort Zones – How to Be OK With Not Being OK
When I first started my blog and YouTube channel, I thought I always had to be comfortable. I didn’t realize that discomfort came with the territory. I did everything I could to avoid discomfort. I played it safe and didn’t stray far from my comfort zone.
Do you know what that avoidance also caused me to avoid? I caused me to avoid success and spiritual growth. I couldn’t become successful if I was constantly trying to do everything right. My soul couldn’t grow if I was always so careful to avoid discomfort.
I even closed my YouTube channel once because of a mean comment. I didn’t even know this person but it caused me enough discomfort to say it wasn’t worth it.
After that I did some soul searching and realized that comfort wasn’t part of this journey. I couldn’t avoid discomfort. These types of things come with the territory. In fact, they come with life. No matter what you do or what you are, you will run into people and things that cause you to go outside of your comfort zone.
The More Discomfort You Experience the More You Expand Your Comfort Zone
The more you do the uncomfortable things the more they become comfortable. They become the new normal for you after doing them many times. You essentially expand your comfort zone.
The first time I received a subscriber to my blog it felt very weird. I was so uneasy about it. Someone actually wants to read what I have to say? The next one also felt a bit weird. But the more subscribers I received, the less weird it felt. It got to the point where it didn’t feel weird or uncomfortable at all. In fact, it felt very normal.
The more we do something the more our boundaries of what’s comfortable expand. Know that the things you are doing that are uncomfortable will one day become comfortable. Allow this to give you relief that you won’t feel like this forever. It will help you to keep going.
Learn to accept the discomfort as being ok. Make space for it in your life. Accept the discomfort as part of the process. Without some level of uneasiness, you wouldn’t be growing into the person you want to be.
I realized that if I was going to do anything of value I would be uncomfortable at times and that was ok. It was my thoughts that it wasn’t ok that was tripping me up. I actually thought something was wrong because I was uncomfortable. Once I stopped running away from the discomfort it became so easy to accept it as part of my journey.
Look back at something that was once uncomfortable and see now how easy and normal it is for you now. I’m sure there’s something that was once very uncomfortable that you can now say doesn’t bother you at all. It is now your normal.
Embrace the Discomfort to Expand Your Comfort Zone
Instead of running away or being upset that you feel uncomfortable, embrace it! Understand that it is ok to feel this way. In fact, it is good to feel this way at times. Discomfort is a normal human emotion and shouldn’t be something to fear or run away from.
If you’re anything like I was you may think you are doing something wrong because you are uncomfortable. When if fact you are doing something very right.
Some of the Greatest Things Are On the Other Side of Our Comfort Zones
Sometimes the best things are on the other side of fear. It is a matter of being ok with being outside your comfort zone; or not being ok, but doing it anyways.
I wasn’t comfortable 2 minutes before I jumped out of an airplane. In fact, I was in a ton of fear. But after I jumped I experienced the most thrilling and fun experience of my life! I wanted to do it all over again! Skydiving is a great memory I carry with me all the time. Just keep that in mind if you are experiencing serious comfort zone anxiety. The rewards on the other side can be amazing! You’ll never know how great they can be unless you take that jump.
Discomfort is Growth
If you aren’t uncomfortable then you aren’t growing. A good way to know that you are growing is to feel some discomfort. Discomfort feels uncomfortable but it’s actually a good gauge to let you know that you are expanding and growing.
If you can take anything away from this article it is that being uncomfortable when doing something new is perfectly normal. There is nothing wrong, it is part of the process. All successful people are outside their comfort zones at one time or another no matter how they appear on the outside.
We came to earth to grow and learn, so this discomfort is a really good thing. Embrace the discomfort and move beyond your comfort zone. Soon enough it won’t feel uncomfortable as you will have expanded your comfort zone. Allow the discomfort to be there and understand there is nothing wrong, it is part of the journey of expansion.
~Meghan
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