6 easy tips to get you out of your comfort zone

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Why do we get stuck in our comfort zone?

Our comfort zone is a safe place where we know what to expect even if we don't like it there. Sometimes we may decide we can't have something because we don't know how to get out of our comfort zone.

Imagine a caged animal that has lived there most of its life. One day the cage door is opened and it is free to go but it stays in the same spot. The boundaries are imprinted on its mind.

We can be like that caged animal, the beliefs of our subconscious mind define the edges of our cage. Our belief system is learnt early on in life through our families and peers, we learn the rules that others teach us.

Our environment creates the boundaries of our cage.

For some of us as we grow, we don't question what we have learnt and our belief system is entrenched. Although we might be free and living away from our environment, we carry the limitations in our heads.

It can be difficult to get out of your comfort zone because you don't know what else is out there in the real world. New, different unknown things invoke fear. Your unconscious mind triggers your internal alarm system to warn you of potential danger.

So what do we do?

We either run away or hide from it, fight it or judge it. Your fear creates assumptions and judgements to keep you away from the thing you want.

Have you ever thought that you liked something, then the fear of actually getting it prevented you from taking action to get it? You started to make judgements about it, which then convinced you that it wasn't for you and you continued in your comfort zone.

Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome in the end....because in the end it shows you a whole new world!! Manoj Arora

6 easy tips to get you out of your comfort zone

Take one step at a time. Retraining your beliefs and emerging from your comfort zone takes time.

1. Follow your intuition

Have you ever had a hunch about something but not followed through because your mind wouldn't let you? Your intuition can guide you to expand your comfort zone. Start to recognise when you stop yourself from doing something.

What if you just did it and thought about it later?

2. Stop asking for opinions

Give yourself time to think about what YOU want. So who really cares if it didn't work out, at least you will have experienced something different and learnt something from the experience. Take responsibility for YOUR decisions. Your peers are probably of the same mind set as you and their advice is as limiting as your fear and your current life. That's not where you want to stay is it?

3. The worst-case scenario

So what is the worst thing that can happen if you do something new? When you consider doing something new, consider what the worst-case scenario is. When you acknowledge this you may realise your biggest fear is fear is perhaps not as terrible as you imagined and you have the resources to manage if it didn't work out well. By being conscious of your fears they lose power and the stronghold they have over you.

4. What excites you?

Write a list of the things that excite or inspire you, don't hold back, write down all those things that you would like to do but not in your wildest dreams think you will.

Read this list everyday, how does that make you feel? Excited at the prospect that you could achieve some things from the list and give the rest a damn good go.

So what are you waiting for? It is time to start right now or does staying in your comfort zone excite you more?

5. Make an agreement with yourself

Make an agreement with yourself to support yourself no matter what happens. Life throws challenges at us and often we tend to abandon ourselves, or we give up easily because we're afraid and we won't be able to handle it if the "something" comes to fruition, we may actually succeed. But if you stand by yourself, support yourself by your side, then you have a better chance of succeeding and getting what you want.

6. Pick something you always wanted to do

What would you like to learn or do?

It doesn't have to be magnificent or life changing, just something you've never done before.

It may be learning a new language, joining a woodwork class and making a chair, singing in a choir. Pick something that challenges you in some way.

Close your eyes

Now imagine yourself doing it. How does that make you feel....? How do you look....? Fantastic, that was easy. The more you practice something new, the more you train your brain that it's OK to get out of your comfort zone.

Contact me, Diane Kirkham at www.apthypnotherapy.com online consultations now available.