Comfort Zone: We’re Already Out of It So Save Your Memes

If I see one more “Step out of your comfort zone” or “Growth happens at the end of your comfort zone” meme during this pandemic, I might just smack someone with my cane. How about, work on being a little less tone-deaf?

Here’s the thing:

NOBODY is in their comfort zone right now, unless they suffer from chronic, generalized anxiety.

(Just my opinion, but since I suffer from high-functioning but chronic, generalized anxiety I feel my opinion has some validity.)

We’re in the middle of (or possibly the start of?) a global pandemic. Many of us have lost jobs or businesses or had them severely reduced. Some folks are essential workers which, yay for jobs, but the stress of having to be out and about and exposed to a potentially deadly virus…I can’t imagine.

Financially, a lot of people are stressed. Personally, a lot of people are stressed. People are anxious about jobs, businesses, money, bills, the economy, the government, keeping a roof over their heads, feeding themselves or a family, their loved ones’ health, their own health, feeling isolated, etc.

There is so much to be anxious and stressed about right now, I don’t know anyone who’s feeling 100% hopeful and positive all the time at the moment. (If you claim to be, I’m actually more concerned about you than I am about the person who screams that they’re losing their minds.)

So I figure, screw getting out of your comfort zone. We’re all out of our comfort zones, and it’s not really awesome, is it?

Here’s what I think:

If you find a comfort zone, no matter how brief it might be, you get in there and hunker down like it’s a friggin’ snuggy!

For two days this week, my ‘comfort zone’ was binge-watching Private Practice on Amazon and eating Coffee Crisps and anyone who thinks I wasn’t being ‘productive’ enough or challenging myself enough can…well, let’s leave that unsaid. You can use your imagination.

I work as a Paramedic in the special event industry, and I became disabled 6 months ago. My life is challenging enough just on its own, I don’t need to ‘step out of my comfort zone,’ thanks.

I’d like to spend some more time in a comfort zone, truth be told. I feel I’m gritty enough, plucky enough, determined enough, and enough of a damn character. I don’t need to survive anymore character-building experiences but here we are and there’s nothing I can really do about it except cope the best I can. Sometimes, that’s organizing my garage. Some days, it’s staring mindlessly into space and eating pandemic snacks. There are some days when I bake more bread than we can possibly eat in 2020. Occasionally, I stay in bed until noon, watching hours of the Food network or HGTV and sometimes, I get up at dawn to do yoga. I take each day as it comes and respond accordingly.

This pandemic is challenging enough for anyone.

Screw getting out of your comfort zone. You’re there! Welcome to being out of your comfort zone, how’s it going for you? Personally, I don’t feel particularly great about it. I’m just doing the best I can, trying to survive.

In my opinion, we need to find a comfort zone where we’re not terrified of losing everything, of getting critically ill, of dying, of our loved ones dying, of the economy tanking into another Depression, of losing the roof over our head, or going hungry because store shelves are bare or we have no money to get groceries anyway.

Maybe that comfort is baking, or exercising, or eating, or zoning out, or learning a new hobby or starting school online or starting a small business. Maybe your “I’m okay” place is doing absolutely nothing sometimes.

Who cares what it is?

Find your comfort zone. Stay there as much as you can right now. I, for one, am not judging you.

If you’d like some more on coping with Covid lock down, here’s some more of what I think.

(Photo by Rafael Serafim)