After the shock, devastation, disruption, and in some cases, an absolute upheaval that the
worldwide coronavirus pandemic is causing, people across the country are feeling as they want to make changes to their lives and to make the most out of every day.
With that in mind, continue reading to learn of the top seven ways to simultaneously break
out of both your professional and personal comfort zones in 2022.
1. Be More Spontaneous
Spontaneity is one of the most challenging things to acquire if you have not already got a pre–determined streak of impulsivity and recklessness already a part of your personality.
There are a myriad of tried and tested ways to enhance one’s levels of spontaneity in both
professionally and personally.
Reconnect and arrange catch–ups with old friends
• Say YES and limit the times you say no
• Be more open to conversing with random strangers on public transport
• Expand and experiment with food
• Spice up your morning and evening routines
• Engage with people on a deeper and more intimate level both at work and outside of
work
2. Advance Your Professional Education & Qualifications
Another fabulous way to break out of your comfort zone and to improve your knowledge
and prospects in your professional career is to choose to acquire a higher education degree.
Alternatively, you could even break out of your professional comfort zone in a more dramatic
way in the new year and pursue an entirely different line of work entirely. One section of
vocational work that is always looking for passionate and dedicated individuals is that of the
nursing and healthcare sector, and you could enroll in an online nursing degree for non nurses and actively contribute to improving and helping people from all walks of life. Over
the last two years, the nursing career has proven why it is invaluable, and how in need of
more nurses the health care system is.
3. Start Saying YES More Than You Say NO
It is part and parcel of the human condition to approach potential new situations and
suggest new activities with a sense of, if not out and out negativity, then certainly a sense of
discomfort.
However, actively and consciously choosing to automatically answer yes to a new suggestion
from friends, family member, and even work colleagues instead of instinctively finding a
reason to get out of it is a fantastic way of breaking out of one’s comfort zone.
4. Stop Being So Hard On Yourself
There is a myriad of ways to change your mindset and to start being kinder and more
understanding and forgiving of yourself, including but in no way limited to.
Actively congratulate and privately acknowledge your achievements, however small.
• Fade out those friends and even colleagues who only exude negativity and criticism
• Take a break from social media, as this is one of the modern world’s worst creations
in automatically making you compare yourself and your life to others
• See failure as a learning curve rather than a completely wrong move
5. Learn To Stand Up For Yourself & Speak Up
Too often, many people feel reluctant or simply unable to stand up for themselves, either
because of an overly introverted nature or the fact that they are certain that their feelings
and thoughts on the matter will be ignored or rebuked.
For someone who has spent their whole life thus far being quiet and silently accepting ideas,
conversations and situations, it can seem as if making their voice heard is like an
unsurmountable hill in the distance, but there are various tried and tested ways to encourage
an individual to stand up for themselves.
Such techniques and methods can include:
Strike a balance during an unwanted confrontation between remaining calm yet stoic
and never allowing yourself to be overcome with emotion
Whenever you feel pushed into something that you either categorically do not want
to do or simply do not want to do, politely but firmly decline and don’t let yourself
cave into peer pressure
Always remember that you and only you are in control of your own time and how
you wish to spend it.
6. Attend Professional Networking Events
Depending entirely on the specific industry that you work in and your role within the
individual company you work for, there may have been several professional working events
that you declined to attend.
Start actively pursuing networking events and opportunities that you feel may either further
your career or simply open your mind to potentially improving and adapting your current
role. There are numerous advantages to attending professional networking events, including
the professional career support and advice you will receive, being exposed to new people
and fresh ideas, and the opportunity to access new information and keep up–to–date with
the latest and innovative developments in technology and methods of working.
7. Travel Solo!
Admittedly, the worldwide pandemic is currently making it particularly tricky for individuals
to take themselves off on a four–week expedition of Cambodia and Vietnam, for example,
but there are still opportunities to take a solo trip in this country.
Traveling independently is a completely new and entirely separate experience from going on
vacation with your family member, friends, or loved ones and is a beautifully expressive way
to break free of one’s natural environment and both physical and emotional comfort zones.
Solo travel means that you are entirely free to do exactly what you choose when you choose
and spend as much or as little time at a particular monument, tourist attraction, museum, or
shopping mall as you would like and also affords you the opportunity to meet and converse
with new, interesting people to whom you would not otherwise talk.
Other fantastic advantages to taking that first traveling adventure alone include the time and
space to relax and contemplate, the simple fact that it can be entirely more cost–effective,
the considerable boost in confidence that traveling alone can bring, and even the reduction
in stress levels that peaceful calm and personal space can afford the individual.