Expand the boundaries of your comfort zones

Published Oct 17, 2016

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LONDON: What makes someone uncomfortable depends on the person, but what's universally true is the value of recognising boundaries and continually pushing them.

As Quora user Joos Meyer explains in response to the question: “What uncomfortable things such as cold showers can improve your life?” pushing your comfort zone is the key to self-improvement.

“I think the best methodology is to every day or week set a task or find a situation that makes you slightly uncomfortable. Do that thing. This will incorporate the experience into your model of ‘normality’ and hence expand your ‘comfort zone',” he writes.

Here are some uncomfortable things that other Quora users say have helped them grow:

1. Question everything

“The most uncomfortable thing one can do is to question everything that is taken for granted and seek answers,” writes Malli Gurram. “Try to see the other side of the norm.”

2. Be 100 percent honest

Being the most honest you've ever been with someone in your life will be one of the most uncomfortable things you can do, Ryan Brown says, but it could also be the most valuable.

3. Meditate

Often times, slowing down and finding inner calm can be especially difficult for those of us who are constantly on the go and thinking of the next things we need to do. But as Nathan Hershey points out, the benefits can include enhancing your cognitive capacity, emotional intelligence, and overall self-discipline.

4. Wake up extremely early

Ekin Öcalan loves to wake up before sunrise because it provides the perfect study-and-work environment. Waking at 5am, while everyone else sleeps, is the perfect, albeit challenging, way to begin the day in silence, he writes.

5. Do something creative

While fear of rejection and failure are powerful demotivators, having a creative outlet can do wonders for our bodies and minds. What’s more, “keeping your work to yourself also guarantees that nobody else will ever love it,” Toole notes.

6. Watch your pennies

Keep track of every penny you spend, from vehicle repairs and life insurance to coffee and French fries, for several months, suggests Bruce A McIntyre.

7. Volunteer

Gurram suggests volunteering for a non-profit organisation or doing selfless deeds. Volunteering can make you feel like you're part of something big, Gurram says, using volunteer experience with TEDx as an example.

8. Track what you eat

Keeping track of all the food you eat and all the exercise you do in a day can be challenging, but Tina Marshall says using her MyFitnessPal app helped her see the harm she was doing to her body.

9. Eat only nutritious food

After you track your food, start eating only what is truly nutritious – Doug Whitney says this will change your life forever.

10. Practice public speaking

It may be scary to think about, but you never know when you may be called upon to speak in public. Practice, while daunting, is the key to improving your communication skills.

11. Talk to someone new

“See someone you're interested in? Go talk to them,” Toole suggests. “The worst that can happen is an epically catastrophic rejection, which gives you something funny to talk about. That and increased confidence in your abilities next time.”

12. Leave your phone in your pocket

There's something to be said of taking a digital detox and allowing our minds to wander. Rather than reaching for our phones when we're bored, research suggests that leaning into boredom can help make us more productive, goal-oriented and creative.

13. Pick just one thing to master at a time

Your approach to self-betterment might be trying as many things as possible and seeing what works. But Rob Hanna says using the opposite tactic, though uncomfortable, is key.

14. Accomplish an almost impossible goal

The most uncomfortable thing you can do, according to Rizwan Aseem, is to set and achieve a goal that's harder than something you've ever done before.

15. Seek help

“I think the most uncomfortable yet healthy thing you can do is go to therapy,” writes Sam Ham. “There, those defences you've been utilising for years, or perhaps decades, may be exposed, and it can be incredibly difficult to realise that you (and those you love or hate) are not necessarily who you thought.”

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