Control & Comfort is the Womb We Must Evade

By R. Nadia Lopez, Art and Soul Intern

What does it really mean to leave your comfort zone with purpose and intention? If it is so comfortable, then why should we be seeking to leave our comfort zone in the first place? In the same way that our very flesh and bone is constructed, held, and protected by the walls of the womb, our identities are constructed, held, and protected by the walls of the comfort zones we find ourselves in. Soft, plush, warm, safe, forgiving: that is, until you’ve spent too long in there- a harsh transition towards suffocation once you begin to outgrow those walls. Now, the doctors have to yank you out of it- that womb- or that comfort zone- what were we talking about again??

Control is at the core of the comfort zone, and we know that the further we stray away from Control, the more likely we are to experience the Unknown and the Unpredictable. One step outside of that comfort zone and Control is inaccessible, you are now in the fear zone. Here, you lack self-confidence in your ability to explore, and you come up with any excuse as to why you shouldn’t proceed into the next zone, further away from your reliable friend Control. The value of this journey can’t be seen from the comfort zone, it can only be seen once you’re there- past the fear zone, in the learning zone. Here, you’re able to challenge your preconceived notions of what is possible for you; you are acquiring new skills that ultimately expand your comfort zone and make the space between you and Control- and you find it's not all that bad! Time in this zone allows you to enter the growth zone, where you are able to find purpose, conquer objectives, and set new goals for yourself.

Throughout this process, not only will you be able to save yourself from the potential suffocation and limitation that comes with clinging onto control- but you will open up more space for yourself to explore, live, learn, and experience.

Control and comfort is the womb that we must evade in order to learn how to crawl, to walk, and eventually, to run: and not just to learn it, but to love it.