Which is a 'non profit organization and online magazine offering recovery support, fostering self acceptance and advocating mental health'
Each week they post articles from different writers who submit their work
A couple of years ago
I submitted Lather, Rinse, Repeat
And it was published
This week the theme seemed to be about comfort zones
That really hit a nerve with me
One of the writer was Arielle Lee Blair
Some of you may know her from her site which promotes recovery
She herself has recovered from an eating disorder
And now helps other do the same
Sadly she lost her husband to suicide recently
Arielle wrote an amazing article about leaving her own comfort zone
It was very relevant to anyone trying to recover from anything
Eating disorder
Depression
Anxiety disorder
Any mental health issue
But the article is also relevant to every one else
As comfort zones are something that we can all relate to
I know a thing or two about comfort zones
I would say that I spend 99% of my time in mine
Rarely venturing out of it
Arielle made a very good point
'If being comfortable is all that you know, you may think that you are happy'
This really hit a nerve with me
Arielle described a comfort zone like being in a private jet
You have everything you want
Luxurious seats with plenty of room
Cozy blankets
Sunlight gently shining in the window
Pillows
Cold beverages
Hot beverages
Anything you could ever want
Your favourite movies and tv shows on a screen
Friends
All your favourite hobbies to keep you occupied
Your happy
Your comfortable
You want for nothing
Arielle makes the point that if you strap a parachute to your back
And jump from the plane
If you take that chance
And take a risk
You experience new and wonderful things
New sights
Sounds
And smells that you would never have experienced if you have stayed in the comfortable plane
A whole new world would be opened up to you
We just have to take that leap of faith
My life is one big comfort zone
I live with my family
I have no major financial commitments
I have a lot of support
And friends
And amazing family
I have a roof over my head
And food in the fridge
I rarely do anything that makes me anxious
Or causes me stress
But the thing is
There are loads of things that I want to do
I want to date
To travel
Get a tattoo
Walk the Camino
Go to college
Work
Pursue my writing
Dance
So many things
But I don't do them
Because to do them would cause me some discomfort
And I don't want to feel that
Even in regards to my feelings
I keep myself in a state of being fall asleep at any given moment
I don't experience negative feelings
I don't let myself
I keep myself in a state of numbness
Comfortably numb
Safe is a word I would use to describe myself
I stay in the safety zone
Anything that feels vaguely uncomfortable
I avoid at all costs
I was having a conversation with my sister yesterday
She was speaking about how she is going to spend New Years with her new friend in Cork
She will be going to a dinner party her friends friends is throwing
So there will be a lot of people that she doesn't know
This is my idea of hell
Having to talk to people I've never met before
Making conversation
I don't do well with that at all
I get very nervous when meeting new people
I am quite shy at heart
And again
I like to feel comfortable around people that I know
I guess fear is healthy
But not if it paralyses you
I know I need to take the next step if I am to keep growing and recovering
It's just hard
But then nothing ever worth having was easy
I love this quote below
Life is ahort
And I want to make the most of it
For the longest time
I wanted to disappear
Life seemed harder than death
I have no will to live
I didn't really care of I lived or died
But now I care
Now I want to live life
And live the best life that I can
With fun
Laughter
And adventure
I don't want to have regrets when I am older
I want to live
And that means taking risks
And moving outside of my comfort zone
I want to live
For the first time in a long time
I want to live
I was wondering about you
Do you venture outside your comfort zone much?
What scares you?
I can't remember the last time I went out of my comfort zone alone. I think it might have been when I went to pick up my glasses (a month ago?) and my boyfriend was at school. Going downtown alone, that's as far as I dare to venture. When I was younger, however, I was a daredevil. Moved to the US, travelled (furthest was East Africa), started conversations with strangers... I wonder what happened.
ReplyDeleteI think it's an interesting point she makes about mistaking comfort for happiness. Safe is the best word to describe it for me too. There are both positives and negatives to be experienced outside the comfort zone, but safety is, well, safer.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your questions, I rarely leave my comfort zone these days. If I do, it's usually when I challenge myself to get out and about. What scares me? Everything. Literally everything.
<3
xxxx
I used to stay totally in my comfort zone. Especially during my eating disorder, and probably well into my recovery, until about a year ago.
ReplyDeleteI ventured out of my comfort zone, by applying to nursing school at my local university. I had never gone to a big college before, especially not a huge university, and by making it into such a tough program, that gave me a huge boost in confidence.
I then started to venture out and make new friends, a lot of friends through my boyfriend, until this semester, I tried out for the tennis team at my university and made the team, which again gave me a huge confidence boost, I made a ton of my own friends through that and the nursing program and by leaving my comfort zone to try things i"d never tried before has rewarded me in so many ways I never though possible.
Even just small things I love so much now, such as, I used to go out with friends, but I would only talk to my close friends at the bar, never to a stranger, I wouldn't dance, or laugh too loud, I really didn't want to be noticed. Whereas now, I go out and make friends with total strangers, I try to make people laugh by putting myself out there, I dance like crazy, I LOVE my new outgoing self.
Leaving my comfort zone was the best decision I've ever made in my entire life.
<3
Kay
Love that quote at the end! It's inspiring. Maybe you could try taking a small risk everyday... something as small as saying "hello" to someone or venturing to some public place, like a bus or railway station, and seeing where the day goes... I think to try is to take those necessary, itty bitty small steps. Who knows where they could lead? That's the beauty of it.
ReplyDeleteI do step out of my comfort zone... I hate socializing. Hate. but I muster up to it and have found my own style of dealing with it. I'm not afraid to be weird and I don't really worry about seeming crazy to others... ways I don't. It's something we can all work on!
*in ways I don't step out of my comfort zone ^ lol
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