Expanding your life in unexpected ways can get you out of your comfort zone and squash fear almost naturally. There will be times that you may not have a practical opportunity to expand your comfort zone, don’t despair because you can create opportunities to get out of your comfort zone by employing a little bit of creativity.
This article will give you five suggestions for some risk-free activities that you can try whenever to expand your comfort zone by doing things that most people consider uncomfortable. I’m going to give you these risk-free examples because contrary to popular opinion, getting out of your comfort zone does not always have to be super risky. You can start here with any one of these suggestions to kick start the “getting out of your comfort zone” habit.
Everyone is different, so some of these suggestions may be well within your comfort zone, but hopefully, some of them will challenge and expand you and crush some of that fear in the process.
1. Take a Class, Workshop, or Seminar
Most of us are programmed to be afraid of failure or even admit that we don’t know something or can’t do something. For this reason, any time that we enter a classroom or a seminar or a workshop we step out of our comfort zones by essentially saying “I am unfamiliar with this content. I may not be good at this.” While it may be uncomfortable, it is also risk-free. Unlike skydiving, the risk of actual death is not a factor. Also, these classes are relatively affordable, so you don’t have to take out a second mortgage.
Whether it’s an art class at a community center, an audited class at a community college, or a class at a local gym, consider safely expanding your comfort zone by stepping out of your realm of expertise and simply trying something new. I experienced this a little over a year ago when I tried my first hot yoga class. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never even taken a regular yoga class. I knew I was pretty inflexible, had tight muscles, was overweight, and struggling with my sleep at night. I thought to myself if I could just stay in the room heated at 100 degrees for 75 minutes without passing out, I will keep coming back. Over a year later, I am amazed at how that one decision has changed my life. All because I made a simple decision to get out of my comfort zone and try something I knew that I would probably suck at. When you start actively practicing getting out of your comfort zone you become stronger and more fearless over time.
2. Introduce Yourself To New People
Virtually everybody is averse to meeting new people even though people are generally harmless. Purposely meeting new people can be a great way to step outside of your comfort zone. You don’t have to do it in potentially frightening places like bars or subways, instead consider the library, the counter at a local diner, or a nearby park. If you don’t want to loiter around these areas waiting for people to introduce yourself to, consider joining a community group offered by many libraries or coffee houses. Coming back to my yoga example, I decided to come out of my comfort zone again by joining a new studio. This is new studio was 3 times the size of my local neighborhood one. I knew I could keep to myself, but I decided to be more approachable and meet a whole new group of people. Once again this act of venturing out allowed me to grow as a person and get to know a whole new community of like-minded people.
3. Join A Poetry Circle Or Book Club
Public speaking is probably one of the most common fears there is. Most communities also have lots of ways to get out of your comfort zone by confronting that fear.
Public poetry readings can be great ways to speak in front of people. If you’re still nervous, read a poem someone else wrote and don’t give your name. It helps that most poetry groups are made up of very supportive people. Book clubs can also be a great way to work on sharing your thoughts with a small group.
4. Play The Devil’s Advocate
Perhaps the only thing that can be more unnerving than public speaking is private arguing, otherwise known as debating. Disagreeing with people can be nerve-wracking, but there’s a way to overcome this fear as well. Identify something that you and a friend or spouse both agree on and then argue on it. By picking something that you both agree on both of you know that there are no hard feelings, but you get to work on disagreeing with someone. Not only will this help you get used to debating with someone, but it can also help you get used to forming your points and help you to understand where someone else may be coming from the next time that you disagree with them. As weird as the technique might seem at first, it is a great way to learn how to form and stand on your own opinion versus the groupthink that our culture is so familiar with.
5. Engage With Challenging Films
A lot of people don’t like horror movies for the same reason that a lot of people do – they show us things that we know that we don’t want to see.
Whether you like horror movies or not, films are a great way for us to see people in situations that make us uncomfortable without putting ourselves in those situations.
An awkward romantic comedy can be every bit as unsettling as a horror movie, dramas and historical films can show us what real-life events may have been like for the people who lived them and any of those things can bring us face to face with difficult content. Experiencing that content and emotionally processing it can be a good way to safely step out of your comfort zone.
As you can see, getting out of your comfort zone doesn’t always have to be so risky that the fear paralyzes us. Like most things in life, we can baby steps to overcome our aversion to change. The more we get into the practice of getting out of our comfort zone the less aversion we will have to this in the future. Before you know it, you will begin looking forward to those things in life that scare you a little bit. Because as you know, those are the action steps we need to take to get to the other side of fear and live the fulfilling life that we so desire.
Be well + prosper,
Elaine xx