Many people enter therapy hoping to find a comfortable place to promote making positive changes in their lives.  I feel that a part of my responsibility in encouraging this change involves making people as uncomfortable as possible, especially when so many people are comfortable with unhealthy things.

We’ve all heard the expression, “Life begins outside your comfort zone”, but what does it mean?  If life starts outside our comfort zone, then what’s inside of it? Often inside you’ll find things such as depression, settling, feeling average, living a mediocre life, a “What if I can’t” attitude, fear, living just to survive, and feeling tired; while venturing outside of your comfort zone can lead you to things such as excitement, fearlessness, freedom, experiencing your dreams, having confidence, a “What if I can” attitude, a “sky is the limit” approach, fulfillment, passion, belief, and success.

Consider the examples in your life that represent the negative things inside your comfort zone, and then consider examples of the things just outside of it that you would want.  In doing so the things on the inside start to act as radar and the things on the outside become goals you’re working towards so that your life can include the healthier more positive things that you want.

No one ever says, “My life is so comfortable that I think I’ll change it”.  A great example of the change that can come from discomfort is something as simple as getting the air conditioning fixed in your car.  When would you be more likely to do something about it, when it’s so cold outside that you wouldn’t need it anyway, or when you’re hot and sweating in your car from the sweltering heat outside?

How uncomfortable do things have to get in your life before you’re willing to change them? When you feel you’ve reached your threshold, call STA at (201) 488-6678 because it is only through discomfort that your comfort zone can expand.