Comfort Zone: a place or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress.
Basically these are mental states. Your comfort level and your ability to do stuff. When you're super comfy, you are in your comfort zone. When you panic, you can't do a thing and it's really uncomfortable.
The idea of comfort zones is rooted in research conducted by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson in 1908. They developed the Yerkes–Dodson Law, which states that performance increases as stress increases, and performance decreases as stress decreases. They proposed that everything outside the comfort zone makes us anxious. A little bit of anxiety helps you do well. However, at a certain point, high levels of stress work against you and you PANIC. When you have anxiety, leaving the Comfort Zone and easing into the Learning Zone is really hard. Your Comfort Zone is like a protective shell and it's scary and cold out there!!! Zones for Anxiety1908 was a LONG time ago.
In the 30 years or so, therapists have used a model that looks more the more colorful circles. This one makes more sense to us. You zoom into the 3 circles. Read more about the brain science behind comfort zones by clicking on Brain Science. There's a layer of fear and negative coping that happens before we can push ourselves out the door into the learning zone. We've all been there. You finally get out and do something and feel great and smart and powerful. But that hurdle of fear is tricky. It hides so we can slide back into the comfort zone. How do we get rid of it so we can go back and forth without a whole thing? |
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The first thing to remember is that not every thing has the hurdle of fear. Maybe talking on the phone isn't as stressful as speaking in front of the class. Speaking on the phone, then, doesn't have a hurdle.
Another thing to remember is that your comfort zone is a good thing. You need it! You're not only in your comfort zone when you're curled up watching a movie, or eating good food, or hanging out with your best friend, you are also in your comfort zone when you're doing something you're good at like playing an instrument or reading a book or playing a sport. Ultimately, you want to make a star pattern on the colorful circles: zip into learning and growing, then zip back to your comfort zone. Here are some ways to move past the fear zone, and into learning and growing: |
When you identify your hurdles, you are identifying Triggers. These Triggers aren't enough to send you into a panic, but they are enough to make you whip out those negative coping skills and go to town avoiding, procrastinating, lashing out, and all those fun things we do.
Start with them. They are your baby steps. |
Getting outside is another valuable tool in your toolbox for managing anxiety. Research has shown being outdoors in nature can reduce anxiety. For some of us, being outside might make us more anxious (am I wearing the best gear? will people notice I'm not outdoorsy? what about bugs and animals? what about safety????) There are easy ways to enjoy nature even when going outside is outside of your comfort zone. Click on the box to learn more.
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Another useful way to build your mental flexibility is to engage in some kind of creative activity. Writing, playing an instrument, drawing, or other kinds of creative arts can be really effective ways of taking on different perspectives. It can be extra beneficial if you approach activities without taking the easiest way. For example, if you enjoy coloring patterns, try drawing the pattern from scratch, rather than using a pre-drawn one. Learn more about Creativity by clicking on the box.
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