Getting Out of our Comfort Zone

We've seen inspirational quotes that encourage us to get out and do something strange orsomething we wouldn't normally do—but getting out of our routine just takes so much work. There's actually a lot of science that explains why it's so hard to break out of your comfort zone, and why it's good for us when we do it. With a little understanding and a few adjustments, we can break away from our routine and do great things

Simply, our comfort zone is a behavioral space where our activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk. It provides a state of mental security. We benefit in obvious ways: regular happiness, low anxiety, and reduced stress.

The idea of optimal anxiety isn't anything new. Anyone who's ever pushed themselves to get to the next level or accomplish something knows that when we really challenge ourselves, we can turn up amazing results. More than a few studies support the point. However, pushing too hard can actually cause a negative result, and reinforce the idea that challenging ourselves is a bad idea. It's our natural tendency to return to an anxiety neutral, comfortable state. We can understand why it's so hard to kick our brain out of our comfort zone.

Trying new things is difficult. If it weren't, breaking out of our comfort zone would be easy and we'd do it all the time. It's just as important to understand how habits form and how we can break them as it is to press yourself out of your comfort zone by doing specific things.