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How often do you push yourself out of your comfort zone in the various sport/leisure/work (?) activities you do?
Do you think there's a limit?
I thought there might be. Decided I only want to push myself in one of the activities I do, place the focus on that, and just do the other activity for enjoyment... but feel like instructors always expect us to push ourselves.
There again, this could all be down to a big life change, causing these activities to become stressful rather than enjoyable. Can't afford the other activity anymore anyway so that solves that one.
But if you have instructor, you are paying to improve so it's their job to encourage you? Enjoyment only, wouldn't you just play the sport with mates?
Not talking about comfort zone in terms of fitness/endurance, more comfort zone in terms of risk. Risk of injury etc. I find it difficult to push myself, to progress, and consequentially am a slow learner.
Put it another way, how many different difficult activities involving risk do you do? Can you do?
I'm at a low level in both so the risks are small, but injury still possible. Not much mind control.
If you don't push yourself somewhat, your comfort zone contracts. I'll sometimes head out solo in big surf just to show myself I can still do it, and means you're relaxed in more normal stuff.
I haven't done any gnar MTB for a long time, but now I have a modern trail bike I am trying to push myself more. I'm usually on my own though, I'm a lot braver with a partner.
It’s all meant to be fun, isn’t it? I’ll push myself into the grey but when it goes black I’m generally out
At work I go out of my my comfort zone all the time, it's the only thing that motivates me.
If you don’t push yourself somewhat, your comfort zone contracts
That's totally true but I've never seen it spelled out before.
I really struggled with this post COVID. I used to be consider myself pretty fearless but now I get real anxiety about totally mundane activities like going to somewhere I've never been before especially when it involves driving and parking in strange places. Going outside of my little work/sleep/work/sleep loop takes a lot of planning and effort and really stresses me out.
Sadly it's extended to riding and socialising and I've been really struggling to stop making excuses and get back out there.
I've also just started a new job where I've had to face some old fears. Getting up in front of a room full of strangers to deliver a presentation or training materials. It used to be my worst nightmare but now I just get on with it. Not even a little buzz.
My experience of walking/scrambling is that my "comfort zone" has an annual reset. Every Spring it seems I'm more aware of the risk. By the time a few weeks have passed, my comfort zone has widened/increased so that I'm happier to take on more difficult challenges again.
Similarly in Winter, that first outing in difficult conditions is always a bit more tentative than the same would be a few weeks later.
All the activities I've loved have had an element of risk. I find I get 3 things out of the extreme sports (climbing, surfing, MTB)
Excercise
"Flow" or joy of the movement
Adrenaline
I can do all of them at a technical level or risk level that only delivers excercise or push myself along a continuum towards extreme risk taking. I get the biggest return from the adrenaline but it's addictive and searching for the buzz often starts to detract from the other 2.
I did break my spine last year climbing though, so make of that what you will.
In terms of physical risk I don't push myself any more - but in terms of pushing myself out of my psychological comfort zone I do and I have had to
I spent years playing sports at a good level and pushing myself all the time. Even when life caught up as I moved into the middle aged heart issues zones I still did it. During Covid I stopped and thought I'd lost a little bit of myself. Now doing a pretty tough swimming and lifting sessions each week as well as my riding. But it's far more difficult nowadays.
I think I'm just wired that way.