Fear of change and the mustard coloured jumper!

Like many of you I’m sure, I am guilty of mostly wearing black, navy or grey colours. It’s become a familiar habit now. I’m not sure whether this is learned behaviour from reading over and over again in 'women's magazines' that black is slimming, or whether it is because it makes you look more ‘anonymous’. Whatever the reason, I know I have to push myself to wear brighter colours and bolder patterns because when I'm wearing dark colours I'm in my comfort zone.

However, I’ve recently noticed how many more compliments I get from friends when I’m wearing a mustard yellow colour! This is one of my favourite colours at the moment, and it obviously makes me stand out a bit more and get noticed. And it’s always nice to get compliments right?!

It made me think about how we take refuge in the safety of our comfort zone. A comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person and they are at ease and in control of their environment, whilst experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. It’s natural for humans to drift towards comfort and stability. It’s steady, regular, familiar, safe and…. a bit dull? Perhaps you stay in an unfulfilling relationship because you are scared of being alone. Maybe you've never travelled abroad or you work in a job that is secure, but unrewarding.

Having a comfort zone isn’t necessarily a negative thing - as long as you recognise when you need to come out of it to achieve positive change. Because important changes can happen in your life if you take calculated risks, push your boundaries, and bypass your familiar comfort zone. 

So what can you do if you fear stepping out of your comfort zone? Perhaps you have negative intrusive thoughts such as “I’ll never be able to..”, or “I can’t do it”, or “I feel overwhelmed”? A hypnotherapist can help you, firstly by exploring your comfort zones that are keeping you ‘safe’. They will build a rapport with you to create a level of trust that enables you to feel safe, thereby helping you to be open and honest about your feelings. Then you can work through together how you think they are preventing you from making positive changes in your life. Whilst in this safe environment, you can gradually push through fear or any insecurities you may have.

Why not start making small changes to take yourself out of your comfort zone today! Perhaps order off a restaurant menu something you've never eaten before, speak to that person you see every day on the bus but never speak to, or book that salsa dance class now! Just stay away from the mustard coloured clothing... because that's my thing ;-).