Neil
ME & MY COMFORT ZONE
THE UNIVERSE WILL PROVIDE FOR YOU.
The last post I wrote was about the comfort zone and how we can use it to work for us. I use all of the HeadGym strategies and techniques myself and for the past couple of months have been applying the comfort zone strategy. This video is the result and shows how even a naturally introverted person like me stepped out of my comfort zone and achieved what initially seemed impossible. Read my previous post to see how you can apply this strategy. USE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
USE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Comfort zone
Stepping out of your comfort zone is something that we can really use to make progress and overcome obstacles we may have had for years. We are all familiar with the fight, flight or freeze scenario, we may have physical feelings that accompany these situations. Hot sweats, stomach churn, headache etc what I am going to suggest turns this situation on its head.
Fight Flight or Freeze
When you get the feeling of FFF take note this is your mind/body telling you that there is an opportunity to make progress. Stop for a minute and think is there any danger? Are there any sabre tooth tigers about? 99.9% we are safe, and this is an opportunity. It will feel uncomfortable for a short while but once you have stepped out and Identify what is it that you want to pursue set your goals using the |HeadGym goals path, you can then use those goals to drive you and be inspired by what you want. It will be a lot easier to push yourself outside of your current comfort zone if you have set targets rather than pushing against fear for the sake of it.
- Move toward your fear.
If you feel fearful about something, then feel the fear and do it anyway. Your fear represents the things that lie outside of your comfort zone. Stepping into the emotion of fear you are literally expanding your comfort zone and therefore your progress.
- Do things you wouldn’t normally do every little thing you do that is different from your usual routine is a step outside of your comfort zone. Do small things first remember step by step is the way forward Take a different route to work. Try a different meal from your usual. Speak to somebody whom you normally would not talk to, all the small things add up.
- Accept the discomfort. Learn to be okay with being uncomfortable to accept the uncomfortable. Whenever you feel uncomfortable know it’s a good thing because it means that progress is available don’t resist that feeling of discomfort embrace it.
- Do new things. Make a point to do something new every week. It can be as simple as reading a new book, trying a new recipe, speaking to somebody new to be open to doing different things, if they fall within your personal agenda and are not life-threatening.
- Take the challenge Life is supposed to be challenging. There will be ups and there will be downs which are sometimes unavoidable or even self-imposed. These moments may not feel good, but they do help you to grow and make progress. Once you are through the challenge you will improve at what you do. Acceptance that life is meant to be a challenge is something to work on say “yes” more often.
FEELING STUCK?
Comfortably uncomfortable
This is something that I have come across time and time again and am certainly guilty of myself as we all are. We all get comfortable and will prefer to stay within our comfort zone doing what we know; staying where we feel safe and not venturing outside our “safe” parameters.
We get the fight, fright or freeze instinctively kick in and listen to it on autopilot, preferring not to take a risk. Sometimes that instinct will have accompanying physical feelings churning in the stomach, hot sweats, a rash, shaking and even panic attacks or physical sickness.
This instinct is in place to keep us safe it is a legacy in our brains from our ancestry where we may have been attacked by saber tooth tigers or a woolly mammoth. These days the dangers are usually less severe, and risk of life is less common, although there are exceptions.
Using the 3 F’s
Learn to notice when your fight, fight or fear instinct is triggered when you get the butterflies in the stomach or the hot sweats stop for a minute. Take a moment to think, this instinct kicking in is usually telling you that something outside your comfort zone is ahead. First, check there is no threat to life or real danger and consider what is causing the FFF instinct to kick in; 9 times out of 10 it will be safe. Your FFF is telling you that there is an opportunity a chance to make progress, opportunity and progress are usually outside of your comfort zone. Practice using the FFF for you instead of against you and holding you back, the more aware and tuned in you become the more you will notice and be able to use them to progress. HeadGym have many techniques and strategies that can help with that push for shifting your comfort zone.
Here are just a couple of simple strategies you can use.
No
Saying no means, you can stay in your comfort zone, avoid the fear failure and rejection and avoidance becomes a carefully crafted skill. Ironically staying in your comfort zone can be very uncomfortable, many people I have worked with have chosen to stay “comfortably uncomfortable” for many years. What I mean by this is quite often people will be desperately unhappy, in a state of heightened anxiety or experiencing long term depression and rather than take the risk of stepping out of their “uncomfortable comfort zone” they stay put. Maybe some will pop out of the “uncomfortable comfort zone” for a short while only to retreat in again, this can become a pattern and can go on for years or even a lifetime.
Yes
Starting to say yes where previously your automatic response was no this can be the start of shifting the comfort zone this simple step can expand and deepen your life very quickly. Saying yes allows you to open your life to more happiness.
We have many more strategies and techniques for overcoming fears and combating any physical feelings that may be stopping you from shifting your comfort zone. You can join HeadGym free get tips, advice, and access to free webinars.
THE FEAR FACTOR
The fear factor
The Dalai Lama once said, “If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.”
Letting go of fear can be the greatest challenge to overcoming fear. Sometimes we hold on to something thinking it empowers us; however, holding on only weakens us. Letting go of our fears allows us to focus more on the present moment and less on the fear itself.
Below are 10 techniques that can help with overcoming fear
- Reading a book can help and be motivational and provide inspiration.
- Action Fears are created by imagination which can make reality seem scarier than it is. When you act upon and face your fears, they can weaken remember the HeadGym blog on using your comfort zone. (no 3 Above)
- Watching a film or YouTube video can be as useful as reading a book to help with inspiration, motivation or learning new techniques or strategies for overcoming fear.
- When fear strikes, turn it around. Instead of thinking of something bad that can happen, think of something positive happening. imagine yourself being successful for example.
- Remember our brain will tend to focus the negative, consider all the options, you can often realise that you’re making a big deal out of nothing.
- Be kind to others. If you focus on helping people every now and then it may help with being self-conscious and make you feel good as well as the other person, it’s a win-win.
- Consider the challenges and fears your life, you may see that often, they have delivered a valuable learning that you needed.
- Mirror neurons. If you can find someone who had the fear you have but managed to overcome it. Contact them and find out how they did it, it could work for you. You may be able to find somebody who has written a book or made videos on the subject that you could access.
- Failure = learning Failure is not the end of the world failure is just a stepping stone to success and most of our fears are fear of failure.
- Focus Create a visualisation of yourself at the end of what it is you are fearful of (see yourself at the end of the task don’t focus on the details get a picture of you being ok with a smile on your face perhaps putting your feet up and relaxing) and use the visualisation when you start to feel fearful. More details and in-depth visualisation strategies can be gained at HeadGym’s webinars.