Is there a difference between being Happy and being stuck in a Comfort Zone?

We talk a lot on our Weight Loss Retreats about stepping outside your comfort zone, but here’s the thing, before you can step outside your comfort zone …you need to recognise that you are in one.

Now you might be thinking, “what’s wrong with being comfortable???”  Of course there is nothing wrong with being comfortable in some areas of your life.  It’s nice to feel comfortable in your home, with you partner, with your place in a team.

How about feeling comfortable in your own skin, being comfortable to take of your clothes in public… of course I mean in appropriate situations… we are not taking about flashing here LOL.  Do you feel comfortable to be naked in front of your partner, do you feel comfortable in the gym, on the beach, in the changing rooms.

Let me be very up front here that feeling comfortable in your own skin is not about achieving a certain number, you do not have to be a perfect size 10 to feel comfortable in any of the above situations.  You can be comfortable at any weight…it’s all about how you feel about your body.  I’ve met women who are a size 8 and hate their body and women who are a size 20 and love their curves.  This is not number dependant.

Week after week on retreats  we meet women who do not feel comfortable in their own skin, women who hide themselves away under baggy layers, women who have started to stop taking part in activities or joining social events because they don’t feel comfortable being themselves.

The thing about Comfort Zones

Initially comfort zones feel great.  you don’t have too think too much, it feels easy.  Nothing negative here.

But what happens when the comfort zones becomes a rut?  Stay in your comatose zone too long and it will become a rut and those are notoriously hard to get out of.

Heres the thing you really need to know…Comfort Zones are not physical…they are mental.  You are thinking yourself into a corner and then you begin to feel the impact of the constraints.

3 Signs That your Health and Weight are Stuck in a Comfort Zone

1. You are eating the same thing day in day out.  You tell yourself that you like what you like and so you make the same foods almost daily.
2. You rationalise your lack of movement.  You accept week, half hearted non motivation thoughts “I’m too busy” “I don’t know what to do”. “I can’t …(insert your most hat4ed exercise here run, swim, walk, swing a kettlebell etc etc)
3. When you are alone and quiet your inner voice tells you that it isn’t happy. You feel sad, frustrated, miserable, anxious.  You feel that there is no alternative for you.

Stepping Outside your Comfort Zone

Once you have recognised that you are stuck then the only thing you can do is start to move forward and find ways to step outside your comfort zone.

You don’t have to completely clear your kitchen or sign up for gym membership to get out of your comfort zone…in fact I’d actively advise against that….to get outside your comfort zone…especially one you have been in for a long time…it’s baby steps.  Its small things consciously chosen consistently applied that soon start to create movement.

So if you are stuck in a food rut then start to challenge yourself to introduce a new food every week or maybe just change up one meal a day.  If you are stuck for inspiration then check out healthy eating blogs for recipe ideas, like our very own Conscious Cooking Blog where we share recipes from and inspired by our retreats.

Stuck in a movement /exercise rut. Challenge yourself to try one thing new each week.  This might be signng up for a trial class, following a you tube video or even just getting out for a walk…but trying a new location or route.

Possibly the hardest comfort zone to step outside is your thoughts.  It can be soo easy to become the woman who talks negatively to herself.  Telling yourself that you are lazy, you cannot stick to anything, you will only fail….. or even worse perhaps.  This really is one area that I feel that it can be very helpful to work with a professional to help you to recognise your thought patterns and why they are keeping you stuck…but even at home you could keep a journal for a week and make yourself write down what you feel  and think.  You may soon be able to see the patterns for yourself. Once you can see these thoughts then you can choose to make a conscious effort to think positively..yes I know it sounds all too easy and little wishy washy… but a flower cannot grow in poor quality soil and positive behaviours cannot grow from a negative mindset.  Try it …you might just surprise yourself.

When it comes to achieving and maintain the body, health and wellbeing that you want and deserve you need to move beyond your comfort zone.  Starting to feel a genuine happiness that comes from knowing that you are growing, changing, starting to truly care for yourself.

What about you?  Are there any comfort zones that you know that you are stuck in?  Or perhaps you are currently trying to get out of a rut right now?  However uncomfortable you are feeling right now take comfort from the fact that every day that you keep moving forward you are moving towards a truer sense of happiness.