A comfort zone can be described as a situation where someone can feel safe or at ease. When it comes to our comfort zones, most of us try to stay in it as much as possible, however, going beyond that and trying new things will actually make life a lot more fun.
When I was younger I always used to be so excited to see which new people would be in my class after summer break. I always wondered how many friends I would make and thought about all the fun things I would be experiencing. As the years went by, I still got excited to have a change of environment, but the fear of leaving what I know behind and starting something new started to creep up. Finishing highschool was the moment when I felt this the most, losing that security blanket of always having friends around and knowing which people you will see the next day. Of course I was excited for a new chapter in my life and I was ready to meet new people, but there was still a little part of me that got scared of all the sudden changes. Especially when I remember all the conversations I had with friends about fitting in and adapting.
I always love meeting people, but sometimes a room full of new faces can be intimidating. During uni I learned a really valuable lesson: people appreciate effort. If you try to put yourself out there, people will pick up on that energy and start to reciprocate it. That’s why, as soon as my first tutorial started, I made a deal with myself to be as social as possible and talk to as many people as I could. It is still crazy to realize that this mindset has resulted in me meeting some of the best people in the span of eight months.
Everyone can get feelings of anxiety when going into new situations and it is always scary to leave what you have always known behind to do something completely different. Even so, having to move to a completely different country on your own can make these feelings worse. That level of independence easily comes with a layer of fear and loneliness. For some it might be really easy to adapt, while others struggle more.
I don’t have many tips on how to struggle less when stepping out of your comfort zone, but I do really believe that you have nothing to lose when you do something new. If it does not work out then that is completely okay, things happen!! Take things at your own pace and remember that even taking one tiny step is already great. For all you know, you might meet new people and learn things about yourself that you never knew and, above all, you might just have a great time…
Author: Gauri Ghisai
Editor: Phoebe Elliot
Visuals: Magali Meijers