Why does my therapist insist I move out of my comfort zone?

By engaging in avoidance behaviour, this can keep your anxiety going in a vicious cycle.

Long term, this is detrimental as this can increase your anxiety which can lead to more worry, impacting on your confidence to cope in other difficult situations.

One of the most common ways to reduce avoidance behaviour and to get out of your comfort zone is through exposure.

Getting out of your comfort zone will help increase your ability to deal with new challenges and problems as they arise, achieve your goals, find a sense of purpose to set new goals, as well as being able to learn new skills along with the new experiences.

Staying within our comfort zone can make us feel safe and comfortable, however this means you will miss out on new opportunities and experiences.

Here are some tips below to help you to get out of your comfort zone

1. Starting off with setting small goals that can include changing up your routine or day and doing one new thing a day. This can be taking a different route from your usual walking route.

2. Saying yes more often and giving yourself the opportunity to try new experiences.

3. Writing a list of things you have always wanted to do as it is important to engage in activities you are interested in.

4. Putting yourself in new environments, this can be traveling to a place you haven’t been before.

5. Learn new skills - if you have anxiety around social interactions, explore local social groups that will help you improve and build on social skills.

6. Challenge your unhelpful thoughts - This could be asking yourself ‘what is the worst thing that can happen getting out of your comfort zone’?. ‘What are the positives I can get out of this?’.

Remember the most important step is to start off small and you can gradually build up on bigger challenges to help you move out of your comfort zone.