Comfort Zone
Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D
Welcome to Mindful Monday, week 14
Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5IxEXZPoQ4LWnP5j65Jj31?si=6a5c304b648949c8&pt=0290050c093eca9f4511426dd18cc937 I hope you enjoy listening along to it whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing.
If an ad plays while listening to the playlist, please just stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again, as hopefully, the playlist will be timed for you reading to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after you have finished reading.
Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. If you have breathing problems, please take an extra mindful moment here.
For those joining me in the breathing exercise, breathe out.
Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. breath out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1.. Breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out through for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. two more to go; breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. last one deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you now feel calm and relaxed.
This week let's try stepping outside of our comfort zones. I know this is never easy; believe me, I know. I missed an opportunity a couple of weeks ago when I could have stepped out of my comfort zone, and I didn’t, and I sure am kicking myself now for not stepping out. For reference, it was for talking on a space on Twitter. I find it hard talking at the best of times, mainly because my accent is so weird that I never know what it will sound like when I speak, especially to people who haven’t heard me talk before. I also sometimes, ok, most of the time, talk muffled because I’m way too used to being quiet and not needing to speak (the beauty of being a writer and working on your own, but the torture of then networking.) So here I am going to make a promise to myself this week, if there is a space happening on Twitter to join in and talk, not just messaging the host, and actually say my views and talk about my writing.
Make a promise to yourself. What part of your comfort zone do you want to step out of? What do you want to get out of stepping out of your comfort zone? How does it make you feel? Please know that you aren’t alone if you feel scared or anxious. I am also dreading being out of my comfort zone. Share in the comments what is making you anxious; hopefully, as a community, we can help you. As I am more nervous than anxious, the thing that makes me nervous is talking to people I don’t know or who I have only interacted with via tweeting. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not the best when it comes to talking to people, so this is something I think I have built up so much in my head that when it comes to doing anything to do with talking, I sort of freeze and would love for the ground to move me to another place. But I know once I give myself a talking to, I know I will be fine. If you are excited, I honestly don’t know how you are, but please do share with us what makes you excited about stepping out of your comfort zone; this may help those of us who are anxious/nervous.
What's the worst that can happen from you stepping out of your comfort zone? Maybe it's learning a new skill, making new friends, and finding out that you are more capable than you first thought you were. These, to me, are all pluses. If you believe the worst is that you hate what you are stepping out of your comfort zone for, then look at it this way, you did it. If you hadn’t done it, you wouldn’t know that you actually don’t like what it is you’ve done, and that's ok. If you are stepping out of your comfort zone and people laugh at you, then laugh with them, say yeah, I did that; it wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of what I’ve done, show them that them laughing at you doesn’t affect you because what you’ve done is bloody fantastic, you rock and I am so incredibly proud of you.
Think about how amazing you will feel after taking that step; think about the opportunities you may have just created for yourself; how amazing is that feeling? How empowering knowing that you are about to do something that could potentially change may be your future, your day, or at least the next little while. Be proud of what you are about to do, as I can guess that this is maybe something you have been putting off or telling yourself that you can’t do whatever it is, but I know you can. So take a deep breath in and breathe out slowly.
At the end of this blog post, I want you to write down and say out loud the thing that will get you out of your comfort zone, then do it. In the words of Shea La Bouffe, “Just do it.”
Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.
Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. breath out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. and out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1.. final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. hold for 1..2.. last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. no hold here you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.
Love always
Thinking Out Loud xx :D
I can do it, you can do it, we can do it, we just need to step out of our comfort zones; we’ve all got this.
