Why Are We Afraid To Leave Our Comfort Zone? 5 Reasons

Very often we talk about the comfort zone, that area that holds us back and limits us from achieving what is important to us. However, do we really feel comforted when we don’t leave this area?

Why do we usually stay in our comfort zone?

If the comfort zone is not comfortable for us, why do we continue in it? Let’s say that, with time and our experiences, we learn to behave in a certain way. I’ll give you an example: If we put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it is clear that it will jump quickly. What happens if we put it in warm water and little by little increase the temperature? Well, the frog will adapt to that extreme situation. Will you feel comfortable with that temperature? Probably not. But, perhaps, you don’t feel the need to escape either. Although… that doesn’t mean he won’t die.

Something like this happens to us humans. We may doubt and not know 100% if our comfort zone is, or is not, the place we want to be. What we do know is that we have spent our entire lives there. And we are very afraid to go out! So… How can we be aware that we should make the decision to leave?

I’ll start by saying that it doesn’t have to be easy, although that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Think about what is important to you: your goals, what you set out to achieve and that at some point you resigned yourself to achieving, those people who mean a lot to you or those places you would love to visit. Is all of this in your comfort zone or is it outside?

When you answer the question, ask yourself what is keeping you do not leave that area If you know that what matters to you is outside, why don’t you try it? Isn’t it fear that paralyzes you? Well, be careful with this character because he can make you believe that he is not worth it. Staying in the comfort zone means avoiding feeling afraid and that sounds great. But what accompanies this feeling of relief some time later? Frustration… Well, when fear appears, we can do two things: stop fighting for what we want, and thus the fear will disappear, or do it with fear.

Why are we afraid to leave our comfort zone?

He fear of leaving the comfort zone In reality it is the expression of our deepest fears. In fact, it is a psychological tangle that keeps us in a situation that is actually not ideal for our growth and, in some cases, can even cause us harm.

Although at first it may seem contradictory, we tend to stay in what is known, even if this causes us suffering, rather than leaving our comfort zone. But what are the causes of this fear of leaving the comfort zone?

1. Lack of control: The comfort zone is a ‘space’ where we believe we have complete control. Therefore, leaving this safe space ends up scaring us, since it implies that we must learn to manage other events that we cannot control.
2. Intolerance of uncertainty: When we stay in our comfort zone, we can foresee what will happen with greater certainty. Leaving this space implies, on the contrary, launching into the unknown, which generates fear and anxiety. That is, having a large number of possibilities before us generates vertigo, something that has its roots in the fear of uncertainty.
3. Fear to fail: Leaving our comfort zone also involves certain risks, such as the possibility of failure. This fear of failure can be paralyzing in many cases, as it represents a hard blow on an emotional level. That is why we may prefer to stay in that area, since we have our ‘success’ guaranteed.
4. Fear of rejection: Leaving our comfort zone also means challenging what is expected of us, which can also generate fear. This fear appears because we believe that we will disappoint others, especially those people who do not share the same vision of life.
5. Fear of discovering new facets: We can also reject what is new or different because we fear changing the image we have formed of ourselves. That is, by changing course, we are also questioning ourselves.

Why shouldn’t we be afraid to leave our comfort zone?

The comfort zone restricts us to a routine and a pattern of behavior that minimizes the level of stress and risk. That is, this ‘space’ gives us a certain mental security, which is equivalent to an acceptable level of satisfaction, low anxiety and little stress. Even so, the disadvantages of the comfort zone are the following:

• We will not reach our goals: To improve our performance and achieve challenges that are different from our routine, it is important to lose the fear of leaving our comfort zone. In fact, there is a state of ‘optimal anxiety’ that is just outside our comfort zone that allows us to grow without the negative consequences of a disorder.
• We cannot change: As we feel more and more comfortable in our comfort zone, it will be more difficult for us to leave this space. On the contrary, if we begin to take on new challenges and actively seek novelty, this will make us feel more comfortable in the face of uncertainty and the unknown, which will make us adapt better to problems when they arise.
• We close ourselves to new opportunities: Creativity needs to feed on novelty. That is, to have new ideas and see life from another perspective, it is necessary to face our fear of leaving the comfort zone.

The comfort zone represents our past made present, since