A constant supply of food, a warm home, no contact with the harsh natural world. Exercise? Often no longer necessary! But does a life without challenges really satisfy us? Burnout rates and studies on (dis)satisfaction paint a contradictory picture. To lead a happier, healthier and more meaningful life, we must leave our comfort zone and be inspired by our distant ancestors.

expanding the comfort zone

The comfort zone is the framework of the ordinary. Our ancestors in the Stone Age also had a comfort zone, only it was much wider and contained physical and psychological challenges. The comfort zone is a psychological state in which we feel safe and in control. The comfort zone becomes a problem when it becomes increasingly narrow and there is only room for comfort and luxury. By consciously seeking out discomfort, we force ourselves to experience new situations and accept unknown challenges. This process expands our comfort zone. It increases our ability to deal with unforeseen circumstances. Every time we cross a boundary, we push the boundaries of our comfort zone further outwards and thus increase our potential for personal growth. This is also one of the reasons why it is difficult to motivate yourself to jog in winter at first: the first few times, long-distance running in the rain and at speed is outside our usual comfort zone. But if we implement this every day, it hardly requires any more effort from us: our comfort zone has expanded.

promoting resilience

The ability to recover quickly from difficulties is a crucial skill for overcoming life's challenges. Challenges train our psychological resilience. They teach us how to deal with stress, fear and uncertainty. When we regularly put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, we learn to navigate emotional and mental challenges and develop strategies to work our way through them. These experiences teach us that discomfort is often temporary and that we have the strength to overcome it. A personal thought: In December 2020, due to a miscalculation, I found myself with an absolutely overwhelming workload: for several weeks I only slept 4 hours a night and worked every minute of the day - from Monday to Sunday. Although this phase was mentally and physically exhausting and unhealthy, it made me much more resilient and relaxed in a professional context in the years that followed. I spent a week cycling in Iceland with one of my best friends. Dozens of broken tires, wet clothes, roads that are not suitable for gravel bikes - and yet a unique experience, precisely because of the challenge and the problems that had to be overcome.

acceleration of personal development

Personal development is a continuous process of learning and growing. Discomfort accelerates this process by exposing us to direct feedback about our limitations, strengths and weaknesses. By overcoming challenges, we not only gain new skills, but also gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. We live more consciously and make better decisions.

The key to a fulfilled life

“Modern life is comfortable, but it’s not making us happy.” Michael Easter.

Until recently, life was a constant challenge for people - a fight for survival. The need for comfort is similar to the need for sugar: a survival instinct and deeply anchored in us. Even if it is counterproductive to our current well-being. Life is not there to have as few friction points as possible and to experience as few bad things as possible. If we allow negative experiences to happen from time to time, we will be rewarded with many positive experiences. We should not just live, but experience.

New Relationship to Dopamine
In our comfortable times, we have an abundance of dopamine. Our cell phones, high-calorie, high-sugar foods that are available everywhere: the new dopamine kick is lurking everywhere. This poses the risk that the seemingly small things in life will bring us less and less joy. If you go on a dopamine diet every now and then, you will find joy in things that were previously closed to you. If I open the front door in the morning and go for a walk instead of watching YouTube, I personally find the work that follows is definitely more fun. As trite as that sounds.

1. Set small, achievable goals: Start with small challenges that take you slightly out of your comfort zone and work your way up step by step. Take a cold shower in the morning, ride your bike even if it's raining. Go out into nature more often.
2. Reflect on your experiences: Take time to think about each experience. What did you learn? How did it make you feel?
3. Be consistent: Set yourself challenges regularly. The more often you do it, the easier it will become. And you will act more thoughtfully when faced with unplanned challenges.
4. Do sports in nature, instead of (only) in the gym in front of a screen
5. Allow yourself to be bored. Don't listen to music or podcasts while you're walking. Limit your screen time.

We think that the conveniences of modern life make us happy. This is often not the case. To live a happier, healthier and more meaningful life, we need to step out of our comfort zone and - at least sometimes - take our ancestors as an example. In my opinion, we must not allow the comfort zone to become too small. And even then, it still makes sense to break out of it every now and then.