Comfort.  We all desire comfort; lots of elbow room and loads of personal space. The word itself conjures images of luxury.  We want our homes to have pillow top mattresses, plush cushions, soft blankets, and reclining padded chairs.  We want to wear comfortable clothing like sherpa-lined hoodies, fleece-lined jogging pants, and luxuriant terry-cloth robes.  We want to eat comfort foods, like gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, creamy mashed potatoes, warm buttered biscuits, soft banana bread, and, of course, mom’s chicken noodle soup.  And when it comes to our emotional and mental well-being, we all strive to stay ‘in our comfort zone’… that place where things are familiar, balanced and even a little predictable.

We seek comfort because stepping outside of that comfort zone can be scary.   Imagine the shy student trying to sing in front of an auditorium of classmates.  Or the introverted salesman trying to engage at a networking event.  Or the quiet accountant trying to deliver a presentation to a room full of business magnates.  In such situations, these people would be going against their own nature in big and bold ways and that would certainly induce anxiety, raise blood pressure and even trigger the body’s inflammatory response system, which is the root cause of most disease.   It would also zap their energy, short-circuit their creativity and sabotage their relationships.  And, some would argue that trying to escape personality traits by trying to be something they’re not is counterproductive and damaging.  In fact, these days, experts urge people to figure out their strengths and work within that wheelhouse.  One’s comfort zone helps establish equilibrium and find one’s own set point.

In fact, business coaches and therapists alike all advise that there are great benefits that come from operating within one’s comfort zone.  First, people are able to make their greatest contributions when they are comfortable and able to work from a place of strength.  Being comfortable enables us to figure out more easily what we need to feel fulfilled and be productive.  It is also where we can find the serenity and contemplative space to solve problems.  We hear our own inner voice better when we are in the safety of our comfort zone, and we are able to take on big changes from a place of comfort.

So if being comfortable is so valuable, it stands to reason that being “uncomfortable” should be avoided at all costs.  Right?  Well, actually, no.  There are also benefits to stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, as it happens.  In fact, for anyone trying to grow as a person and develop new skills professionally, it is important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Wait, what?  Isn’t that the exact opposite of what experts recommend?

Benefits of Being Uncomfortable

Yes, it is true that being uncomfortable triggers the body’s stress response, which is not good for our health.  And it is absolutely not good to be “uncomfortable” all the time.  Being in a constant state of high anxiety, confusion, fear, sadness, or irritability is definitely not good.  That is why coaches recommend for people to know their strengths and get jobs that cater to those strengths.  We spend a lot of time working, and it is important to do work that aligns with the skills in our wheelhouse.  But that does not mean we should avoid being uncomfortable at all costs.  No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Being outside of one’s comfort zone occasionally can be beneficial.  Why?  Because sometimes we get too comfortable in our comfort zone!

Yes, there is such a thing as “too comfortable.”  When we are in our comfort zone too long, it goes from being a safe space to being a confined place… a station holding us back from opportunities to learn, grow, experiment and be challenged.  The only way to break out of that self-made pen is to take chances, try new things, dare to be different, and break out of the rut.  It will be uncomfortable, but it’s a small price to pay for the benefits.

Here are some of the major benefits of delving into the uncomfortable zone of risk, trials, tests and defiance.

1. Achieve higher goals – Being slightly uncomfortable, whether or not by choice, can push us to achieve goals we never thought we could.  By being challenged, we can achieve new peaks of performance.  In fact, stepping outside our comfort zone is an important, and almost universal, factor in personal growth.  We cannot evolve in our lives and careers if we only stick to habit and routine.  Reaching for new heights involves the risk of trying something where we might not succeed.  And that may produce some anxiety.  But a little anxiety can help push us to perform at our peak.  That’s because studies have shown that, when we challenge ourselves, we tend to rise to the occasion.
2. Grow as a person – Risk-taking helps us grow. That’s how we go from crawling, to walking, to running, to leaping.  We take chances, fall, get back up and try again and again until we improve and master a skill. As kids, all we do is take risks.  Learning how to paint with brushes in Kindergarten.  Learning how to ride a bicycle.  Learning how to play a sport.  Learning how to make friends.  Childhood is a series of tests and trials.  But, with age, we start to fear the difficulties and fumbling that comes with experimentation.  And, we begin to fear failure.  We start to fear learning new skills.  We resist applying for new jobs.   We hold back and take fewer chances.  We try fewer things.  We learn less.  We pigeonhole ourselves.  This comes at a high cost to our personal and professional growth.  Fear of failure exacts a heavy price… leading to conformity and the narrowing of our personality.  And with less and less experimentation, it can even lead to obsolescence.  But for those willing to leave their comfort zone, the prize is deep development and personal progress.
3. Increase one’s creativity – Ingenuity and innovation rises from the ashes of the status quo.  Creativity is fundamentally rooted in exploration, experimentation and trial and error.  Music, art, storytelling, movies, dance, and all manner of inventions are based on disruption, evolution and change.  But to achieve it requires discomfort… ridicule, rejection, embarrassment and frustration.   In fact, that very discomfort is a prerequisite for big breakthroughs.  For example, Marcel Duchamp’s art, which removed art’s obligation to be aesthetically pleasing and instead opted for it to be intellectually provocative, changed 20^th century art.  He revolted against the notion of artistic value and dared to create art that appealed to the mind rather than the eyes.  By daring to be fundamentally different, Duchamp was able to transform the very definition of art.  He could not have done that by staying in his comfort zone.  In fact, his art challenged the very notion of artistic comfort zones.
4. Expands one’s horizons – By being open to opportunities to learn, grow, experiment and be challenged, individuals become more likely to take chances, grow, experiment, fail and achieve higher levels of creativity.  In fact, in 2012, researchers found that stepping outside of one’s comfort zone feeds the desire to continue to try new things and therefore be uncomfortable again and again.  A person who embraces being uncomfortable actually becomes comfortable with being uncomfortable.  It becomes a continuous loop.  Just as the comfort zone encourages status quo and stagnation, taking risks encourages development and progress and more risks.  And, by expanding our horizons and resisting the urge to settle into our comfort zones, we open ourselves up to greater fulfillment and improved well-being as we age.

So there are definitely benefits to being uncomfortable.  But just as there is “too comfortable”, there is also “too uncomfortable” as well.  Venturing outside of one’s comfort zone is a good way to shake things up.  But it turns out that is true only in moderation.

In an experiment conducted 111 years ago, Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson found that stimulation could improve performance, but only to a certain extent. Performance was improved up to the level of “optimal anxiety.” Beyond that level, there was too much stress and performance dropped.  And less than that level of anxiety also resulted in lower performance.   Now known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law, it says that performance peaks at the point of optimal anxiety, but lowers with either too little or too much anxiety.  Basically, there is a proverbial ‘sweet spot’ for how much discomfort drives us to do better.  Going over or under this optimal amount of anxiety results in the Law of Diminishing Returns.  In other words, when demands become too great and the pressure is overwhelming, with too much to do with too little time or support, we no longer benefit from the discomfort.  Just beyond the optimal zone at the top of the performance arc, there is a tipping point where the brain secretes too many stress hormones that interfere with the ability to work well, learn, innovate, listen, or plan effectively.

So what is the takeaway?  Find balance.  Identify your strengths and work within that comfort zone.  There are benefits there.  But make sure to find ways to step outside of that comfort zone from time to time to try new things, face challenges, learn, create or dare to be different.  And know that it’s not only okay to feel uncomfortable while doing that, but actually beneficial.  Just make sure to stop before the stress starts to interfere with the ability to be effective.  At that point, it’s time to return to what is familiar and find equilibrium.  It is in the balance that we can be effective, efficient and evolving.

Quote of the Week

“Very successful people don’t seek comfort, they seek success and are willing to do what is most uncomfortable. But most of the world is seeking comfort and familiarity which are traps that cause you to settle for mediocrity.  If you want to get to the next level of your business, you’ve got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
Grant Cardone

© 2021, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.