How to Leave Your Comfort Zone

It’s human nature to crave safety and certainty, to shy away from fear of the unknown. Yet, if you desire a life full of growth, transformation, and adventure, your comfort zone is the last place you’ll find it. In fact, the key to personal growth and self-exploration is pushing yourself to the edge of your comfort zone, expanding what feels comfortable, and broadening your limits.

It’s normal to feel scared when stepping past what is familiar. After all, comfort zones are defined more by fear than by comfort, but when you take risks, you have the power to show yourself what you’re capable of. It’s a part of the process of becoming more resilient, self-aware, and confident.

Feeling stuck and wondering how to leave your comfort zone? Whether you’re an avid traveler seeking new horizons or someone yearning for growth closer to home, here you’ll find everything you need to know about escaping your comfort zone.

Why is it so hard to leave your comfort zone?

There are plenty of ways to leave your comfort zone both big and small.

Your comfort zone is what you know. On a psychological level, staying in your comfort zone feels easy because there is nothing to challenge you. It gives you a sense of control, and it’s natural to want for anyone.

On the other hand, leaving your comfort zone means walking into uncertainty, and it is often paired with feelings of anxiety, fear, stress, or even pain. If you are someone who recognizes this, you may avoid anything that doesn’t feel safe and good, and stay in your little bubble of comfort.

For anyone in the realm of this mindset, escaping your comfort zone takes willpower and a massive shift in mindset. Regardless of what phase you’re in, taking the steps into the uncharted is big, that’s why it takes so much time–it is different for everyone.

And hey, it’s natural to experience growing pains! The fear, stress, anxiety, and pain don’t go away just because you’ve decided to leave your comfort zone. You may still experience all of it, but something really cool happens when you do.

When you push your edges successfully, you send signals to the brain that your new experience is safe. It motivates you to do it again, to explore and wander a little further. Your comfort zone expands, as does your tolerance for facing the unknown.

So, rather than staying stuck and risking boredom, stagnancy, burnout, disengagement, or FOMO, ask yourself if you have the courage to break old habits. Doing the hard things can move you toward something great, all you have to do is trust yourself and walk toward the unknown.

READ: Why It’s Important to Leave Your Comfort Zone

10 ways to leave your comfort zone

Taking a new route can change an entire day’s outlook.

The secret to learning how to escape your comfort zone is balance. You need a bit of uncertainty, but not so much that it leaves you overly anxious. There are plenty of ways to accomplish this and grow toward bigger feats.

As you start, you’ll want to focus on finding your edge and pushing it out little by little for expansion – not just jumping leaps and bounds before you’re ready for it.

When you jump too far, the fear can outweigh your opportunities for personal growth. Looking for examples of leaving your comfort zone? Here are some of GoAbroad’s tips for leaving the familiar and venturing into the unknown.

1. Change your routine.

Humans are creatures of habit, yet habit is exactly what keeps you stuck in your comfort zone. Why not change up your routine? This can be as simple as taking a new route on your daily walk, working from a cafe instead of your home office, or trying a new restaurant instead of the usual Friday night spot.

Changing your routine stops your brain from functioning on autopilot, brings more awareness to your surroundings, and helps you slowly inch outside of your comfort zone.

2. Start with something small.

Instead of flinging yourself off a cliff with nothing but a parachute strapped to your back, start with something small that you don’t normally do. Similar to changing up your routine, taking baby steps means you won’t get stuck in a pattern of overthinking or procrastinating. The best part of this idea is that it doesn’t take too much effort to put into action.

When you succeed in your first steps, it will feel like a reward, motivating you to do it again. Some examples of leaving your comfort zone in small ways can look like many different things from striking up a conversation with a stranger at your favorite cafe or library to exploring a new hobby that excites you.

3. Let yourself be bad at something.

Learning a new skill takes time–allow space for exploration.

If you want to escape your comfort zone, let yourself start as a beginner at something new. It can be easy to shy away from trying new things out of fear that you’ll look silly. Learning how to be bad at something, and understanding that it is a normal part of the process actually builds confidence and makes it easier to leave your comfort zone.

Starting as a beginner can be uncomfortable, but the growth that comes with it may be exactly what you need to break out of your safety net.

4. Do a 30-day challenge.

Having an achievable goal is one of the keys to success when learning how to leave your comfort zone. The beauty of a 30-day challenge is that it offers a structured framework for personal growth.

A 30-day challenge allows you to push your boundaries, create new habits, master new skills, and face fears. Along with that support system, it helps with breaking down change into bite-sized pieces that make it easy to stay motivated and take action.

Choose anything that feels fun for you – bonus for choosing something that gets your body moving, as exercise will decrease the stress and anxiety that naturally come with stepping to your edge.

5. Travel somewhere new.

Seeing new parts of the world can help shift perspective.

Travel is an excellent way to escape your comfort zone, but don’t fall into the trap of habit even when traveling. Instead of going on your tenth trip to Florida, why not explore somewhere you’ve never been before?

Traveling to a new place – whether it’s a new city, state, or country – allows you to take on the unknown in an exciting way. You’ll be exposed to new people, cultures, and possibly even languages. It may be exactly what you need to open your mind to new ways of relating with the world.

6. Spend time with like-minded people.

They say you are a combination of the five people you spend the most time with, so if you’re considering leaving your comfort zone, start surrounding yourself with people who will be along for the ride with you. Spend more time with friends who have already adopted a growth mindset, and who already know how to push themselves to their edges and take risks.

Find a mentor who can keep you accountable and guide you when you’re afraid of the unknown. Being around people who are confident in escaping their own comfort zones will encourage you to do the same.

7. Take a class.

If you’re the type of person who loves learning new things, use your curiosity as a gateway to escape your comfort zone. Instead of spending your days at home with your nose in a book, sign up for a class that will challenge you to make real change.

Whether you decide to pick up a new hobby, a new language, or pursue a new degree or certification to upskill in your career, taking a class will not only help you leave your comfort zone but will make you more employable and well-rounded, too.

8. Visualize your desired reality.

Take some time to figure out what you’d like to explore.

Your mindset is key when it comes to learning how to escape your comfort zone. One of the best tools you can adopt for mindset shifts is a practice of visualization. If you’ve been feeling stuck, stagnant, bored, or feel like you’re simply missing out on what life has to offer, take some time to get clear about what you want.

Whether you’re interested in journaling or exploring what you want with an experience both are wonderful ways to realize what you want to work toward. Is what you’re doing right now going to get you to where you want to be? What changes can you make to get there? What kinds of habits do you need to adopt to be the person you imagine?

Using a visualization practice like this can help motivate you to make both the small changes and the bigger ones to get you back on track.

9. Knock off a bucket list item.

Ready to push the edges of your comfort zone even further? Go grab the old bucket list and choose something you’ve always wanted to do.

Daydreaming of quitting your job and booking an around-the-world plane ticket for the gap year of your dreams? Do it. Always wanted to learn Italian and connect with long-lost relatives in your homeland? Make it happen.

Whether it’s travel-related or not, choose something that you don’t want to leave this world without having done or seen, and challenge yourself to do it now.

10. Bring something familiar into the unknown.

Classic comforts can be a great way to balance new experiences.

Leaving your comfort zone can feel hard sometimes, and that’s okay. In the moments when you’re struggling with growing pains, consider how you can bring the familiar into unchartered territories.

What brings you comfort? Perhaps it’s watching reruns of Friends to settle your nerves while traveling solo for the first time. Maybe it’s treating yourself to your favorite takeout after your first beginner’s dance class, or calling an old friend to keep you accountable to your new goals.

Find that balance between comfort and discomfort. That’s the sweet spot.

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Leaving your comfort zone can be difficult, but it’s always worth it!

There’s no doubt that leaving your comfort zone can be scary – after all, you’re literally leaving what feels comfortable for what doesn’t. But what’s the payoff for staying in your comfort zone?

If you’re seeking growth, expansion, transformation, and a life that feels fun and exciting, staying in your comfort zone isn’t the answer. Venturing into the unknown, facing your fears, and allowing yourself to collect new experiences is well worth it, so what are you waiting for? It’s time to push yourself to those new horizons.