Human beings are wired for comfort. That means there is a large part of us who prefers routine and being in the status quo. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, of course, except when our status quo leads us to behaviors, thoughts and experiences that are unfulfilling at best and, at worst, destructive or harmful. If you find yourself feeling bored, uninspired or frustrated with the same patterns in your life, it might be time to expand your comfort zone, to challenge yourself to a new way of being and explore the limits of what is actually possible.

What is the comfort zone exactly?

The comfort zone is our habitual space of operating in life, which is familiar, comfortable and routine, and thus, low stress to our system. This doesn’t mean our comfort zone is healthy, just that it feels familiar. The comfort zone often operates under our unconscious reality, repeating the same thoughts, feelings and patterns of behavior.

Therefore, to step outside that zone of comfort, that space of familiarity, means we are opening ourselves to uncertainty: an uncomfortable and fearful place for most of us. This fear can keep our world very small; yet, if utilized effectively, it can help us grow. To expand our comfort zone to include new boundaries, we will have to get up close and personal with that space between the familiar and the new, which I like to call the gap of change. In this gap, we often think, “I don’t know what is going to happen”.  Habit says the statement with fear, while our soul says it with wonder. That is always our choice:  choose habit or choose change.  So in truth, when we open to uncertainly, we actually create space for more possibilities, inspiration, authenticity and more potential to emerge.

Seven ways to expand your comfort zone

• Think new thoughts: When we challenge habitual programming, we create new thought patterns, which create new feelings and then new behavior.
• Break up your routines: One day I decided to walk the opposite way around the block, and I discovered sights I had completely overlooked previously. Choose to drive a new route to work, eat different foods, listen instead of speaking first or change the order of your morning routine.
• Embrace your curiosity: Allowing a sense of wonder can lead you to expand the limits of your comfort zone. Want to learn more about space? Do it! Always wanted to learn a new language or a new sport? Travel to a distant land? Now is the time. Allow life to teach you on a daily basis.
• Trust your intuition: The majority of us rely on our analytical minds rather than our intuitive sense. It is part of the operating system of our comfort zone. To trust intuition means we are accessing information from a different place; one that is less concerned with stagnation and more interested with change.
• Be creative: Creativity is one of the gifts of change. When we are stuck in our comfort zone we often do not see other option or choices. Embracing our creativity allows us to tap into this new sense where we can express ourselves in new, less habitual ways. Try a new hobby, pick up that paint brush, turn up that music or get out in that garden.  Doing so can expand options in all areas of our life.
• Be YOU: Often our comfort zone is defined by outside parameters of acceptance we have been taught over the years. Thus, our authenticity is edited to fit into this template. When we leave our comfort zone, we rely less on what other people think of us, and we are free to explore new ways of being.
• Change your relationship with fear: The comfort zone is all about being safe, but safety doesn’t lead to change. To grow actually means we will feel afraid. It doesn’t mean we actually have anything to fear; it just warns us we are pushing established parameters of safety.  When you let your fear teach you, rather than allow it to restrict you, fear can lead you to the very edges of the comfort zone you are trying to expand.