Ever wondered why we feel uncomfortable in the process of self-growth? How to get comfortable being uncomfortable?
Well, these feelings are very normal to experience. You can’t get comfortable with being uncomfortable, but things can be made easier.
Growth can only come to us if we are stuck in more than one way of living. Growth comes with adjustment. Adjustments to new things in life. It feels uncomfortable because we have never been there before.
It is fascinating how being uncomfortable or anxious can positively affect our lives. These emotions create a sense of curiosity and increase our desire to reach different heights.
The important thing is being consistent. Since all these emotions that we are experiencing are not pleasant and we live in fear of failing or disappointing ourselves, we try quitting quite easily.
There are different ways on how to get comfortable being uncomfortable, which might help you deal with this uneasy feeling, but before that, let’s first understand what does comfort zone mean?
Comfort Zone: What does it really mean?
A comfort zone refers to a behavioral space that includes activities or situations that are suitable to us because we have been acquainted with them for a long time. These activities or situations make us less anxious as we can predict the outcome of such actions, and there is no risk factor. A comfort zone creates a sense of familiarity and security.
It is known as getting out of your comfort zone when you experience a situation unfamiliar to your knowledge, and you are uncomfortable because you can’t control the situation and predict the outcome.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is a challenging thing to do. It takes a lot of time. A person generally stays in their comfort zone to avoid feelings of anxiety, stress, discomfort, and mental peace, which is the basic requirement to stay content.
Then why should we step out of our comfort zone?
Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone opens your boundaries and makes you learn new things and experience new perspectives. This results in your personal growth.
The world is evolving quickly. Things have changed, and situations are different now. In such a case, if we are unwilling to leave our comfort zone, we cannot grow personally and will lack courage. You can challenge your capabilities by stepping out of your comfort zone by helping you learn how to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
The Relation Between Being Uncomfortable and Personal Growth
Have you ever thought about why we feel uncomfortable when practicing good habits? Or why do we feel uncomfortable moving into a new city for our new job?
This discomfort feeling is normal and is associated with your personal growth. These were just two examples; ample different situations, big and small, can make you feel this.
Loss and desire are two things that you experience when you grow.
When people leave their city for a new job, they feel pain, anxiety, and discomfort because they are about to move away from many things they love and adjust to a new place. But at the same time, they desire to grow and achieve their goals, motivating them to sacrifice. The ultimate goal is to learn how to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
As humans, we experience growth every day through different stages of our life; what we used to do as babies changed when we reached adolescence, when we became adults, and when we grew old. All this was challenging, there were many obstacles, but we didn’t revert.
Every day, new connections are formed in the brain when you develop a growth mindset; just like us, our brain also doesn’t like being stuck to one routine. However, creating a growth mindset can be uncomfortable. There are various ways on how to get comfortable being uncomfortable; let’s dive into it.
How To Get Comfortable Being uncomfortable?
1. Try Taking The First Step
How to be comfortable with being uncomfortable?
The most uncomfortable step is the first step you take into something new. Starting something new can be very overwhelming. You may feel all kinds of emotions. But start. Take small steps at a time.
The first step is the biggest effort you can make toward your growth. Once you try to show up, you are halfway there to success.
It is normal to feel discomfort or irritation when you try incorporating something new into your life. But give it a chance. Take your time.
Whenever you are ready, pal, just go for it.
2. Try not to give up
While experiencing discomfort and anxiousness, it’s normal to think about quitting. When we start something new and don’t see positive results, our confidence decreases, and we start finding ways to quit. Learning how to get comfortable being uncomfortable is challenging.
In such a case, you can ask yourself,” Why do you want to quit?” You can consider doing it if you have a strong reason for it. But if being uncomfortable is the only reason bothering you, try pushing yourself forward. Keep learning new ways on how to become comfortable being uncomfortable. It is challenging to do and will take a lot of time. But try sticking to the plan.
You can express to someone who can help you understand and advise you on what is good for you.
3. Try accepting risks and challenges
When trying new things, we are generally anxious because of the risk factor attached to it. We start thinking how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable?.
We can easily do things whose results we can predict and do things that we are experts at to have a wonderful outcome.
The primary way to get comfortable with being uncomfortable is to let yourself face challenges and experience risk. Keep yourself open to new opportunities. It is hard to do this because nobody wants to take the hard way.
But keep challenging yourself with something new once in a while. Remember, it can be small; small challenges that will help broaden your perspective are also helpful. Stay calm about the outcome. Your effort counts. These challenges will teach you how to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
4. Try taking the feeling of discomfort Positively
All these emotions of being uncomfortable, stressed and anxious or in pain can be a setback if you want to grow. It stops you from making a move forward. Brings negative thoughts to your mind. You can also feel demotivated. This action-reaction is very typical. You need to feel secure to excel in life.
Try thinking of these emotions as positive catalysts for growth. Try thinking that these feelings are increasing your desire to achieve your goal. It is hard to accept these feelings, but you can slowly accept them by making them valid by learning how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Think of this discomfort as temporary. Once you master your work, all this will vanish. You will feel like a different person, full of confidence and the ability to adapt to new changes.
Also Read: 7 Free Resources For Building Confidence In Teens
5. Try accepting new ideas
When we are open to different ideas from people, we see growth in ourselves both mentally and physically. It is hard to accept ideas for something that you are doing yourself.
But sometimes, these ideas give you a different perspective, and you can look at your vision differently. Sometimes advice from others can change our life.
Some people can help you understand your surroundings better and make settling in easier.
Try these 11 Mental Health Skill Building Activities if you want to learn something new.
6. Try learning from your failures
You can try learning from your failures. You should accept that you might face obstacles. It is okay to fail sometimes in the journey of achieving success.
Don’t get disheartened when you fail to try out something new. Failures are a part of growth; they need to accept mistakes they can learn from. Failures help you in learning how to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
It is hard to stand back when you fail but worry not. You aren’t alone. You can take assistance from people to get back to where you started.
7. Try to keep track of your accomplishments
Whenever you achieve something, write it down. Having a list of past accomplishments is a great way to motivate yourself to keep doing things in the future. They will make you happy, which is great for your mental health.
If you keep track of your progress, you will be able to understand your strengths and weakness. You will see how much you have changed. You will appreciate the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and doing something you are uncomfortable with. Accept that the process of how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable is not easy, and you are giving your best.
Be proud of yourself and celebrate your small wins. Keep motivating yourself to try new things. You can also reward yourself whenever you achieve something. Learn more ways how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Also Read: Top 3 Christmas Gift Ideas To Support Mental Health
8. Try out meditation exercises
The vital step in how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable is meditation.
Whenever you are anxious and in fear about something new, take deep breaths. Calm yourself down and try thinking about why you are doing the thing in the first place.
Focused meditation will help you develop a mindset that can handle new changes around you. Meditation will help you understand the situation better, and you will come up with the strength to cope with all these feelings of discomfort.
There are also different types of meditation that you can practice and achieve your desired goal.
Also Read: Know How To Create a Meditation Space In Your Bedroom In 11 Ways
9. Try connecting to different people
Always try changing your social bubble. In business or even while building your career, making connections is an important thing to do. Try connecting with different people, they will challenge your beliefs, and you can learn a lot from everyone. Exposure to other people will help you learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable in different situations.
It is not at all comfortable to connect beyond your comfort zone with people and to put yourself out there, but it is an essential component for your growth in many aspects. All these people will also support you in this journey and make you comfortable with the new surroundings.
10. Try repeating the process
Keep practicing these ways on how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The more you practise, the more comfortable you get with change. You will learn so much. The more you become acquainted, the more familiar you will get with the pattern.
You can only get comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable when you keep repeating your task again and again. At a point, you will grow into it.
Conclusion:
So up for trying something new? These were just some ways on how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. By following these ways, we can push our limits and achieve new goals toward success.
But an important note, if you feel highly anxious or fearful while doing something, it is advisable to step back for a while. Experiencing a high level of discomfort can lead to mental health issues. So go with your pace; don’t force yourself to do something hurting your mental health. Your mental health also plays a vital role in your transition. Good mental health helps us cope with all kinds of obstacles in life.
Repeating uncomfortable situations makes your body and mind acquainted with them. And slowly, you notice how far you have come. These steps on how to be comfortable being uncomfortable will push you forward. Don’t give up. You will see a boost in your confidence, and it will astonish you to know your capabilities. Our mind works best when it has been pushed to the highest limits. The push might make us uncomfortable, but our growth will help us stay satisfied and content.
Want to get motivated to try something new in your life? Here we have something for you.
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Sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zone, push ourselves a bit. Great things happen on the other side of fear, anxiety. Great article, really useful.