Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone
(and Breaking Free from the Scroll)
For our brains, it’s incredibly healthy, interesting, and engaging to experience new things.
It can often feel scary to break out of our routine, to step outside our comfort zone, and do something we’ve wanted to try but never quite dared to do. The psychology behind this is that it’s often easier to passively consume content—whether it's scrolling through our phones or watching TV. But engaging in active pursuits, moving our bodies, and stimulating our minds can actually make us much happier.
A few years ago, I came across a quote on the internet that really stuck with me: “In order to be happy, you have to produce more than you consume.” I’ve noticed this in my own life too. Since having more free time, my screen time has increased, even though I try to balance it with yoga, time with friends, and reading. Yet, I’ve been on my phone more than ever, and when I spend too much time scrolling through my Instagram feed, I don’t feel great. It’s just not very nurturing, especially because algorithms tend to serve us content we’re already familiar with.
For our brains, it’s incredibly healthy, interesting, and engaging to experience new things. This is true in yoga as well. Whether it’s attempting a new pose or exploring a style we haven’t tried before, it can feel uncomfortable at first to tackle something unfamiliar. Stepping outside our comfort zone requires effort, commitment, and discipline, but that’s where the magic happens.
In doing so, we experience something known as delayed gratification. By working through the initial discomfort, we train our minds to seek more long-term rewards rather than the instant hit of dopamine we get from endless scrolling. We invest in our future, embracing the challenge now to reap the benefits later. This is why I always remind my students in class that it’s not about achieving the final pose but rather about what we learn along the way. That’s where the true magic lies.
So, when was the last time you did something for the first time? How did it make you feel, and how did you feel afterward? I’d love to hear about it—let me know in the comments!
