What image did you just create in your head when you read that title? For me, getting comfy brings visions of a cold winter day with a heavy snow falling, a warm house, and stretchy pants or leggings with a well loved t-shirt, an afghan made by my grandmother, and a good movie or book waiting to be delved into. My family is safe, dinner is done and filling the air with the aroma of goodness, and there is an energy of peace and familiarity.
How did that scene come to represent “getting comfy” for me though? That scene was born from experiencing those moments, and the feelings that were attached to them as they were happening in real time. The feeling of contentment and joy watching tv with my grandparents complete with popcorn and Double Cola every Saturday night, snuggled in handmade quilts and afghans. That same feeling on a blustery snow day when my children were little and it was sooo cold, but our home was warm, the snow was falling into a heaping silent covering, laughter was in the house, and soup was on the stove.
You see, my image of comfort came from my experiences, those moments of familiarity, and the feelings attached to those moments. The attachment is so strong that I can feel that sense of comfort just thinking about those memories. When we “step out of our comfort zone” we are stepping out of the familiar and into a new experience. The new cannot be familiar- or comfy- until we have experienced it, often repeatedly, until it is no longer a stranger to us.
We may shun new experiences, new challenges, and new opportunities because of the discomfort we feel in the unfamiliar, thinking this must be a warning to us for something to avoid, or something we must analyze or study out more to force the familiarity. Until we actually experience that moment though, that one step out and that one step in, it is impossible to be completely comfortable. That is why the process is called getting comfy. There is action to it. The discomfort of the new is normal and part of that process, but as you continue to step into it, learning as you go, soon you will look back at all the steps you have been taking and see how far you have come. From that perspective, looking back at the imprints you have made stepping into what was once new, you will see the familiar, and those moments in time that those imprints represent will be your comfy spot, your anchors in your journey.
What is the thing you have been avoiding because right now, it is uncomfortable? Is it learning something new? Meeting someone new? Trying something new? Know that the discomfort in the new is only the normal, and start stepping out of the discomfort and into your comfy!
If you would like personal support in stepping into your comfy, I am just a few clicks away! Schedule a complimentary call and let’s chat!
May you have joy in your journey! ~~ Coach Gentry-Brooke