15.05.2025

ZONES OF COMFORT, STRETCH AND DISCOMFORT - HOW THEY HELP FOR WORK SUCCESS

All personal development specialists repeat that when a person does not experience a useful dose of anxiety, he falls asleep, sinks into a routine. Gradually, he becomes more and more afraid to step out of his comfort zone and accept challenges. In the end, he is deprived of success.

But the great mastery is to choose challenges so that when he leaves his comfort zone, he does not enter the panic zone. Otherwise, his anxiety ceases to be useful.

Because this mantra of stepping out of one's comfort zone is highly touted as a success factor and every ambitious person has heard it, experts have noticed an interesting trend in recent years. Many professionals who want to develop and make a career admit that they fall to the other extreme - if they turn down a challenge, they feel disappointed in themselves. It scares them, maybe they didn't accept it quite rightly, but they are sick and tormented by the thought that they missed an opportunity for growth. For them, the mantra has become a principle, an unshakable belief that it is the only way to improve.

The result is often the so-called professional burnout. No one can live constantly facing challenges. There are many times when it is wise to stay in the comfort zone i.e. where he feels safe.

One cannot live in chronic stress because one does not say "no" even to frightening opportunities. Or in chronic dissatisfaction with himself if he allowed himself to reject them.

Modern culture puts stepping out of the comfort zone on a pedestal and presents it as almost simple courage, but it is much more complex. When it's a challenge to tackle something unknown, it's not just about weighing the risks of whether you'll succeed or fail. Very often the courage to try, with a good strategy and plan, leads to achieving something you thought was impossible. But that only happens when you step out of a comfort zone without entering a panic zone, explains Andy Molinski, a professor of organizational behavior at Brandeis University's business school. The secret is to judge the optimal level of discomfort.

According to Molinski, there are three zones.

The comfort zone is where you feel in familiar surroundings and don't worry about whether you can handle it.

The second is the "stretch" zone, where you experience discomfort, but it can be converted into motivation and productivity.

In the third zone, however, the task exceeds the threshold of your capabilities, you are unable to cope and you panic.

The optimal level of discomfort is in the stretch zone. To get to it and not the panic zone, you have to choose your challenges very carefully. It must be certain that you have the ability, time and energy to deal with them.

There are two questions you should always ask yourself to understand what zone you are entering and increase your chances of success.

Before you make the decision to step out of your comfort zone, be sure to ask yourself if you're ready for it and if now is the right time to do it, advises Andy Molinski. You should not underestimate the answer to either question, and they must be considered in relation to each other.

According to the professor, you should also define the so-called discomfort tolerance. It is different for everyone. It also depends on the character - for example, for an introvert, communicating with many people is a greater challenge than for an extrovert.

One person's stretch zone can be another's panic zone. To know how far one or the other extends, you have to know yourself well, and that requires experimenting and taking risks. So put up with it - trial and error is inevitable and necessary.

Stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to personal growth and success, but over-stretching can have negative consequences.

One probable cause is a poor judgment of ability and of the situation, the other is the neglect of individuality. If a person wants to ensure success in stepping out of their comfort zone, they must approach this process in a way that is natural to them, emphasizes Andy Molinsky. Therefore, he must know his own identity, his strengths and weaknesses, his level of tolerance for discomfort. Then he will get used to judging how far his stretch zone extends.