How do you approach going outside of your comfort zone?

 

Do you tackle anxiety producing situations head-on?  Or, do you prefer to avoid it altogether?

 

Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone can be, well, uncomfortable.  Why do you think they call it a “comfort zone”?

 

Your human brain is designed to keep you safe, and that means sticking with the familiar.

 

Your brain thrives on known experiences because it has proven evidence that you will be safe because you have done (name that thing) before.

 

This evidence has been developed within human beings for many thousands of years.  The human brain learns from experiences, and repeats patterns that keep you safe and promote survival.

 

When new experiences or novel situations pop up in your life, uncertain emotions come along too, often leading to feeling of worry, anxiety, or fear.

 

These feelings are designed to hold you back from stepping outside of your comfort zone into the unknown where it might be dangerous.

 

The definition of fear is: “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”

 

Isn’t that interesting?

 

Fear is an emotion caused by a belief.  Fear itself does not hurt us.

 

This emotion is a reaction (developed by your primitive human brain) designed to keep you safe from danger.

 

But, many of the things humans are afraid of today actually are not dangerous at all…

 

Fear of being embarrassed.

 

Fear of being vulnerable.

 

Fear of failure.

 

Fear of what others will think.

 

These things will not kill us – but the fear prevents us from taking action to move forward.

 

The belief (not the actuality) that someone or something is dangerous makes us feel afraid.

 

In life or death instances, this belief is useful.  For instance, if you are being chased by a bear or someone is breaking into your home.

 

However, most of time, when you experience fear this is not the case.

 

Nobody likes feeling afraid or anxious for long periods of time.

 

Does the thought of feeling afraid stir up some feelings of anxiety within you?

 

It is not useful to be afraid of the unpleasant emotion of fear.

 

When we are afraid to feel unpleasant emotions, we avoid doing anything that brings them up.

 

We create the unhelpful (and untrue) thought that we will feel something uncomfortable, like fear, forever and we will never be able to escape it.

 

This fear of emotional pain causes suffering.

 

Pain is inevitable.  Suffering is optional.

 

Fear is the reason we need courage.  Courage doesn’t exist without fear.

 

Courage is a character trait worth building, but you cannot develop courage if you don’t expose yourself to fear.

 

You cannot get physically stronger if you don’t expose yourself to lifting heavy things, right?

 

The same is true for developing your mind!

 

If you want to develop courage, you must expose yourself to scary things.

 

Growth comes with unpleasant emotions.

 

Fear is a natural part of being human, but if you don’t take the first step of building courage then you won’t be able to overcome you fear and grow into your best self.

 

The great news is that you have control over developing and cultivating your courage.

 

So, how do you approach an anxiety-producing situation with courage instead of fear?

 

Start with these 3 simple steps to boost your courage:

 

1. Acknowledge your fear

Feeling afraid is completely normal.  You are not going to experience a life without fear, but that doesn’t mean that fear has to hold you back.  Acknowledge that you are feeling afraid, then decide to move forward.

 

Decide that fear is not going to stop you

 

Fear is a reaction to a circumstance.  You have complete control over your reactions.  When you notice yourself feeling afraid about something, take a minute to stop that thought process and take control.

 

“I will not let fear hold me back”

 

2. Envision success

Ask yourself, “What would it be like if I wasn’t afraid?”

 

What would you do?  How would you feel if fear was not a factor?

 

3. Choose a new emotion

Decide that you want to approach your fear-producing situation with confidence.

 

Keep your head held high.  Research has shown that using positive body language can boost feelings of confidence and might impact your chances of success.

 

Keep trying!  Feeling confident when facing fear takes time.  It is a skill to be developed.

 

Persistence and courage go hand in hand.

 

Give your brain the evidence it needs  to prove that you can safely go outside your comfort zone and experience success, along with personal growth.

 

If you want more support and accountability for setting big, scary goals and implementing a plan for success, let’s chat!

 

I‘m opening up a few spots for Discovery Calls this week where I will talk with you about the fears that are keeping you stuck, and help you develop a plan for taking action to move you forward.

 

Click here to schedule your FREE 20-minute Discovery Call with me.