There’s a lot of phrases or sayings that don’t really make sense to me. For example, “It’s always the one you least expect.” Surely you would just identify the person that you least expect and they would in turn be the person you expect.
Another is conversations starting with “needless to say.” More often than not it’s followed by a statement that the individual felt they needed to say.
Along similar lines, something that I’ve heard a lot of recently and I struggle to understand is the negative attitude towards an individual described as being in a comfort zone.
A comfort zone is defined as a “behavioural state where a person operates in an anxiety-neutral position”. To me this sounds incredibly positive. Surely this sense of security and comfort is something we should all be aiming for, and when we are there enjoying it. Looking at it in basic terms, I certainly wouldn’t buy a sofa that wanted to take me out of my comfort zone and replace it with something that hurt my back and was generally just more uncomfortable.
However, people often berate themselves, saying I need to get out of my comfort zone or tell others that they need to get out of their comfort zone if they want to be happier and live a more fulfilled life.
Irrespective of the interpretation of the state, for me the real challenge is to align yourself with the definition and achieve a sense of neutral anxiety in situations where you currently don’t have too much confidence in but have a desire to in the future. Hence, ultimately reaching your genuinely desired comfort zone.
Recently for me this is trying to make myself more visible on various media platforms to grow my business. The process of doing so is something that increases my levels of anxiety. For example, I recently recorded my first video on social media and became slightly obsessed, checking how many views and likes it had for verification. However, I’m aware that I need to go through this experience to understand the most effective way to communicate and make such activities feel within my comfort zone.
For those of you who potentially feel a sense of anxiety going to the gym but want to feel comfortable doing so in the future I would ask you to hear the following advice;
- No one that is worth bothering about will ever think less of you for your physical appearance.
- Everyone has insecurities about their body even if it doesn’t appear outwardly that they do.
- If you saw someone in the gym struggling but trying hard would you feel inspired or want to mock them. Everyone I know would feel inspired.
- Everyone is fighting their own battle and it’s ok to ask for help.
- You’re doing something today that will benefit you in the future and every time you set foot into the gym is a step towards making this your comfort zone.
If this resonates with you and you think that I can potentially help to make you feel more comfortable about training or nutrition please don’t be intimidated to ask.