Comfort is Key: Staying inside of your comfort zone can limit your experience

Sitting down on the couch, I turn on the TV to open Netflix and my finger immediately clicks on “The Vampire Diaries” — an eight-season show I’ve already watched five times through. Why would I branch out and try a new show when I’m already comforted by the dramatics of the on-screen love triangle in each episode. Exactly, I wouldn’t. So I’ll just stick with what I know.

In general, I tend to stay with what I know instead of branching out and trying new things or something out of my usual comfort zone. Along with “The Vampire Diaries,” I’ve seen “The Hunger Games” series and the “Divergent” series an unhealthy amount, always going back to them because I already know and enjoy the plotline.

A part of my personality likes to know what is going to happen and to have everything under control, so replaying some of my favorite scenes from the same shows or movies over and over again plays a role in that. 

Not only do I find comfort in TV shows, but clothes and jewelry are comforting factors in my life as well. I find enjoyment in wearing my gray “Lancers” sweatpants once a week and wearing the same Madewell gold hoops daily instead of switching them out and trying something new. 

With so much chaos happening in my personal life — trying to differentiate the cervical vertebrae from the lumbar vertebrae for my Anatomy class, dancing for 20 hours a week and working — the overwhelming aspects of life can lead me to want something familiar and easy. However, according to TheCarousel.com too much comfort in your life can lead to feeling unmotivated, uninspired and even sometimes depressed. The struggle for finding motivation has definitely been prominent for me.

While it’s so much easier to stick with what you know and trust me, I get it, but sometimes it can be more enjoyable even just trying a new restaurant and ending up loving it. It’s important to find new and exciting things to shake up your life. Stepping out of your comfort zone can teach things you might not have known about yourself, help you learn new skills and grow as a person overall, according to TheCarousel.com.

I never would’ve found my love for dance if I hadn’t decided to move to a completely different dance studio in fifth grade, which was something completely out of character for me. Stepping out of my comfort zone and moving studios made me grow as a person as I was able to create new friendships and learn new skills.

When I’m not dancing and studying for Anatomy, I’ve found myself heading to Netflix and starting a new TV series like “All American” or a romantic comedy like “All the Bright Places,” distancing myself from my usual go-to’s. Already halfway through “All American” and I can hardly stop myself from watching it.

So the next time you are looking to do something more out of your character, even the smallest things like watching something new on Netflix or ordering something you’ve never tried before at a restaurant are small steps in the right direction.