Work it out

Get out of your comfort zone… gradually!

COMFORT ZONE

Comfort zones are great. They are safe, familiar and comfy. But they don’t challenge us, and when things stay the same, we don’t have to question anything. Everything is predictable. That means we don’t learn much here either.

PANIC ZONE

When we decide that we are stuck in a rut and want to make changes, it is easy to set ourselves big, daring, crazy goals to move ourselves forward. However, this can land us in a panic zone! Panic zones are so far away from our usual comfort zone that we can feel fear and stress, and have way too much challenge. Going straight from comfort zone to panic zone can send us racing back to our comfort zone and staying there.

STRETCH ZONE

The trick is to take small steps and increase our courage and confidence gradually. The stretch zone is halfway between the comfort and panic zones, and while it still feels a bit strange and unfamiliar, it is manageable. Here, you can practise new behaviours safely and, by staying here, you will find your comfort zone slowly expanding.