The Defensive Side of Comfort Zones

Do Your Comfort Zones Make You Defensive?

I was thinking this morning about how our comfort zones can sometimes put us on the defensive and offensive when people say certain things to us, particularly if they say “you need to come out of your comfort zone.”  Our go to defensive response is “you don’t know anything about me.”  Or “You don’t know my story.”  And while this may be true, these people are thinking “what the heck did I say.”  A simple hello can set some people off and put them in an offensive mood.

The simple “hello” may have been an extreme example, it shines a light on how we can sometimes take offense to the most innocent of words, actions or gestures.  It shines a light on the fact that not everyone is out to get you because you are in your comfort zone.  Many times people are just striking up a conversation or responding to a queue unintentionally given by you.  They may be just exchanging pleasantries or trying to be motivating or encouraging. And yet our defenses may go up in an effort to protect us and keep us safely tucked away in our comfortable place.

For anyone that has managed to escape the grip of life stopping comfort zones, you may recognize what I’m talking about.  You may even recall how in some situations you would have responded or reacted differently had you not been so entrenched in a place that literally kept you from exploring life in its fullness.

Defensive Can Come Across as Mean Spirited

When I reflect back on my own life, it’s clear that my defensiveness, in many instances made me a person that was difficult to be around. Even more so, my defensiveness caused me to buy into the lies that derived from my comfort zones.

Reflecting on our own lives, in a non-critical way invites personal growth as well as the development of relationships that enhance the quality of our lives.  We may not even recognize areas in our lives that need the most attention and that will alter our presence and how we show up in the world.

Check out the Periscope video where I explain more clearly what I mean.  This may not apply to you, but if there is an off chance that it does, consider how it affects you as well as your relationships with others.

“Every day presents another opportunity to hit the reset button on your life.” Charita Cadenhea