Stretching your Comfort Zone
Our Fresh Air Fridays theme this month is about stretching your “Comfort Zone”.
You’re in your Comfort Zone when you’re working in a way that needs very little effort, yielding barely acceptable results – if you stay within your comfort zone you will never improve.
What are the benefits of stretching your comfort zone?
- You feel great
- Your confidence grows
- You increase creativity
- You inspire others
- You continue to grow and change as an individual
What does this mean for you in different areas of your life?
As human beings, we walk a line between a need for security and a need for stretch. It’s important to recognise that for some people, right now, getting through each day is a stretch! In this situation, inviting them to stretch further could be difficult and even painful.
We must always start with ourselves and ask what stretching our comfort zone means to us. It’s usually helpful to take some time to reflect on this idea, thinking about whether it’s already in your awareness or hiding under your to-do list! Maybe you’ve never even thought about it.
Whatever you conclude, once you become aware of the need to stretch, you’ll begin to notice the idea of stretch seeping into different areas of your life. If it’s something you reflect on regularly, you may even notice it beginning to have an impact on those around you, encouraging growth.
Creating a reflective environment
At Fresh Air Fridays we really value a reflective environment, where we can take time to think, developing our own thoughts and ideas and using these to improve our everyday life. Here are our thoughts on how this can be created, for you and those around you.
There’s no right or wrong answer here and you may have other ideas but we thought we’d share it with you:
- Don’t force stuff or put yourself under pressure – it kills creativity and wears everyone down
- Allow time to think, to play, to be at ease – stop being so busy, it’s not helpful
- Get outside and move – fresh air and movement help to clear your brain, make you more creative and more effective
- Listen to yourself and others – a powerful tool for unlocking ideas and answers – we particularly love Non-Violent Communication by Rosenburg and Time to Think by Kline.