We all have routines and these help us to organise our lives and make the best use of our time but they can also trap us in a rigid fearful life that can invoke anxiety and cause us to exist instead of live our lives.
We are creatures of habit and we like to visit places that are familiar or use the same cup or sit in the same place and while this may not seem an issue, the problem becomes apparent when not being able to exercise these routines causes us to get angry or feel anxious.
The behaviours and routines that make us feel safe create our comfort zone. We are spiritual, intelligent beings and we are designed to grow and learn.
We can be lulled into sense of security and we become so comfortable in our routines that we stop trying new things or going to new places and because we are not challenging ourselves, our problem solving and resilience skills deteriorate and our fear and anxiety at anything different increases.
So what do we do about this?
Firstly we need to recognise that we have become trapped within our routines and fear of the unknown. This is where being mindful is so helpful. When we live in the present moment we can identify thoughts and behaviours that are not helpful to us and begin to challenge them or source help to enable us to address them.
Secondly, we can slowly try to break the hold of our routines and beliefs and step out of our comfort zones by trying something small and new each day. This can take the form of walking a different way to or around home or work, trying a new food or drink or sitting in a different place.
Trying these small and safe adaptations enables us to manage the anxiety of change and with each experience that we succeed with, our confidence and then our resilience grows. This then enables us to try taking bigger steps such as noticing when we say no as a relax and instead starting to say yes occasionally or choosing something that we wouldn't normally consider an engage with it with an open mind.
Lastly, we can work on our mindset and see the challenges brought about by stepping out of our comfort zone as opportunities to grow, lose the anxiety and fear and live life to the fill and explore our potential.
We can then use gratitude to help develop positive beliefs by being grateful for the opportunity to take control of our life or being grateful for being presented with a challenge that will help us to learn more about ourselves so that we can grow.
Life is a glorious ,messy adventure. We are meant to be joyful and full of love, we can enjoy life and learn to see each new day as a gift full of opportunity. We just have to start saying yes!
If you would like some support in stepping out of your comfort zone and into your full potential, please get in touch.
Take care.
Chris. X