Going Outside the Comfort Zone

If you are seeking therapy, then you are likely trying to make some change in your life so that it better aligns with your goals, pushing you towards happiness. However, change is difficult. It takes time, and it can be incredibly uncomfortable. When faced with the idea of going outside the comfort zone, particularly when there’s been a pattern of avoidance, some people get stuck. For example, if avoiding your feelings is how you have been coping with your strong negative emotions, it will likely be pretty uncomfortable to allow yourself to experience these emotions.

Therapy can be especially difficult when it comes to facing our past pain and/or mistakes. Despite this discomfort, to move forward, often these situations need to be faced with non-judgement and with an openness to learn from the situation. It’s important in these moments to treat yourself with kindness and compassion.

If you notice that the discomfort is too great, it is important to communicate this with your mental health care provider. It may be time to work on linking your goals more effectively to your values to build the motivation for change; or, it may be time to reassess your goals to determine if they are realistic for the current time period. In our attempt to make grand change, we sometimes create goals that are too much for what we are able to do in the current moment. By adjusting our goals so they are more realistic, we are able to see the progress we make and continue moving forward.

Photo by Mimipic Photography on Unsplash

Written by Justina Yohannan, PhD