When I’m moving outside my comfort zone into a new phase of evolution, I often find myself getting a little panicky.
It’s normal for our minds to race when we’re faced with the unknown. It’s leftover from when we were living out in the wild and anything new or unknown presented a potential danger. Our brains try to protect us by scanning rapidly for danger when we’re faced with the unknown. It’s biological!
But that doesn’t mean we have to be powerless to that sped-up panicky feeling. We can actually work with our brains to slow them down and return to feeling calm and safe—just by breathing.
When I find myself in that sped-up state, I use an exercise called “4-7-8 breathing.” You inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of seven, and exhale for a count of eight. Doing this just five times or so will slow down your heart rate and calm your racing thoughts.
Remember how strong you are.
I’d say that by the time we’ve hit 45 or so, all women have done a bunch of things that took tremendous strength.
Whether it’s venturing into the professional world, earning degrees, standing up to our parents’ expectations to design the life we want, working harder than we imagined we could, giving birth, facing a serious health challenge or taking care of someone else facing health challenges, committing to a marriage, or leaving one—all of these things take incredible courage and strength, whether we give ourselves credit for it or not.
When I’m taking on something new, venturing into new territory, I remind myself of all the challenges I’ve faced in the past and how much strength I’ve acquired by facing them. And then I tell myself that strength is there to take me through this new challenge—and all the ones that lie ahead!
How have you moved outside your comfort zone as you’ve aged? What strengths have you discovered that you never knew you had? Let us know in the comments below!