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Love this everyone should if they never have, you might just surprise yourself and enjoy the response you get. 😊😊
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Glad you like it! It is a difficult one though as it is nice and familiar in our ‘comfort zones’ so they are sometimes hard to leave. However, if we don’t we may stay in a fixed mindset and never grow but nobody has a crystal ball to see what lies on the other side!
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I am not brave enough to walk into a pub on my own, wish I was braver x
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Hi Betty Thanks for your reply. What do you think holds you back? You would think twice about going shopping on your own? Maybe, sometimes you just have to start with small steps and take it from there – you may be surprised at what you find and how you feel. x
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As a personal challenge to myself a few years ago, I trained as a Keep Fit/Group Exercise to Music instructor ….. and passed with flying colours! Since qualifying I have raised, single handed, over £7,000 for charity. I went on to qualify in Dance Fitness and Seated Dance Fitness and teach several classes every week, as well as our Fun Keep Fit charity classes.
The pandemic didn’t stop us for long. I stepped outside my comfort zone again and learned how to use Zoom (I hadn’t had any reason to before, or any interest in such technology), and how to instruct/coach online. A whole new experience, and one I enjoy.
Since Christmas I’ve set up Dance Fitness classes for the “rest less” community. Just a few of us, twice a week. Another enjoyable experience, meeting new friends from all over the country whom I would otherwise not have met, and who would otherwise not have met one another.
It goes without saying that all this was/is one of the most worthwhile achievements of my life. To see other people successfully work towards their goals and get there, whether just making friends and enjoying the social aspect, or striving for something extra like losing unwanted pounds, improving fitness and health, toning, shaping, etc., is so rewarding and positive.
I also had to take hours and hours (amounting to weeks) of training and assessments in order to demonstrate that I was/am Covid-19 compliant and safe for when we returned to face-to-face classes for a while last year and for when we hopefully return again later this year.
I’ve never looked back and have everything to look forward to!
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Hi Kay, what a great story and a possible ‘case study’ for what can happen when you step out of your comfort zone (quite literally!).
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Thank you, Christine.
Indeed! Always looking for something new!
Just spent an hour dancing tomorrow’s dance class programme. Includes a new Salsa routine I’ve learned over the weekend. Must be one of our liveliest programmes yet! What a work out and what a buzz! The girls are going to LOVE it!
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I’ve just trained to be a census officer as wanted to get out of the house. So far a week of online training and using the phone for all interactions. Tech is totally not my comfort zone and now not looking forward to being on the streets and having to remember how to use the goddamn phone! No doubt I will get used to it.
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I’m sure you will be fine. My friend has applied for exactly the same role as you and after 30+ years working in higher education, she has the same concerns as you. I also started a new job in 2019 and I didn’t know how to use any of the tech but now so pleased I know how to. I’m sure you will be the same soon. Good luck!
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My fear of heights was really challenged on a walk at Wookey Hole when I was about 21. Very distressed, very tearful, and very fearful of the decent in inappropriate footwear and a skirt (friend assured me we would be fine!). I made it. I was relieved. Since then I believe I can control my fear of heights if I need to, although I haven’t put it to the test in many years!
Responsibilities of live have also taken me down paths I would never have chosen for myself, nor would have thought I could have coped with. A sense of achievement and pride for sure!
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A huge achievement Gill, there is nothing worse than having a fear of heights. Well other people might disagree 🙄 🤣. But well done! 😊
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Well done Gill, you have travelled a lot too and that is no mean achievement
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Well Marica, here’s a thing. I have flown long haul on my own many times, but I have always known someone at my destination – even if I stay in airbnb or hotel. I will be stepping out of my comfort zone when I go on an adventure on my own. So, 2022 heralds the time for me to go on that adventure. It might be road trip uk. It might be road trip USA. What I really really fancy is camping or campervan, but just not sure about doing that on my own as I will have no idea what I am doing!! Time will tell what the future has in store, but I am going to do something next year for sure!
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I’m afraid of heights too. When my husband and I travelled to Corsica, there were a number of mountain roads that were very scary for me. We eventually found a solution – before the ascent/descent, we would stop off at a bar and get me a glass of wine. No fear at all after that! Of course, I wasn’t driving🙂
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Well yes I am the same with cliffs. I did, many years ago when I was about 19, lie on my tummy and edge my way to the cliff top so I could look down. Of course I wasn’t aware of crumbling cliff risk back then. I really don’t handle it well if someone I am with is standing on the precipice. When I was a child I hated my sister standing near the platform edge and I would be as far back from the edge could go.
Mountains I used to crawl up on my hands and knees and down on my bottom.
I have managed to overcome a certain level of fear through breathing and relaxing, but if its a building I am as far away from the edge as possible unless there is some sort of barrier. Empire states fine. Twin Towers was something else!
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On the other hand, I’m not afraid of flying and went with my husband on a little plane that tried to land on the beach on Barra, but the weather wasn’t good enough so after an hour of circling, we returned to Glasgow and took a larger plane to Benbecula the next day. I think I am going to Google fear of heights.
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I just Googled fear of heights, which took me to the Wikipedia page on acrophobia. It is more likely that we have visual height intolerance, which is more common and has a smaller impact. Fear of flying is completely different and not linked to fear of heights.
I’m pretty brave when it comes to spiders, though 🕷
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That’s interesting.. I’m cool with spiders too. I tend to let them thrive here until I start thinking enough is enough. But they do catch those pesky flies!
Some of the images for acrophobia do make me feel very uncomfortable. I could not step out on a glass platform either nooooo
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It is odd how you can get over a fear you think you have, Viv. This may sound an odd comparison but my 1st husband took me to see The Alien before we were married. I hated it , had bad dreams and would never watch it again. Then I saw a sketch on Not The Nine O’clock News, where they copied the sketch where the alien bursts out of the man’s stomach and it was Sooty! I have never laughed do much in my life being a Sooty fan from when the kids were little. That cured the memory!
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I used to climb a lot and taught abseiling to kids, however this makes me feel queasy…
https://youtu.be/POhGInCwS28 -
He was a marine engineer, at the time he was first engineer on a large container ship – one Christmas the family went with him on a trip to SAUDI, Egypt and the UAE.
6 weeks there and back – through the Suez Canal!
The hold of the ship was filled with JCBs and the like – all set to build Dubai I guess!
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Yes, well done Gill. Lots of people don’t like heights but it is worse for some than others. After my husband had a heart attack in 2012, I thought it would be a good idea to abseil down a 100ft building for charity. On the day, it was pretty scary but good to reflect back on and there were lots of people at the top having second thoughts!
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I tried to conquer my fear of heights by doing Europe’s longest Zip line in Slovenia.
Half way round, i put my break on to soon leaving me dangling hundreds of feet over a ravine, i had to be rescued by the group leader. Bless him, i had to go tandem on the rest of the zip lines as there was no other way out.
I will never do it again that’s for sure 🤣, but i did it! 🙃 and i gave everyone in the group a good giggle in the process-
That has to have a terrifying experience and very emotional for you. The others may have giggled but I am not sure you were inside.
I am not sure I am brave enough for a zip line, but you never know, one day the opportunity may arise, and I may decide to go for it!! I draw the line at a bungy jump .. not sure my joints and muscles will cope with that!
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Nope, my eyes were tightly shut all the way down! It’s a shame i couldn’t upload the video, all you can hear is me zipping past and my daughter giggling 😂.
As you can imagine the view of the mountains behind me where i came from were amazing, i just didn’t see much of it and yes i was holding on for dear life, they had to prise me off at the end -
What about a Rest Less day trip to here, just to make it even more exciting we could go on a coach!
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Lovely views Andy .. I wonder if I would be able to keep my eyes open for the one where you are lying on your tummy. The seated one I might manage, its difficult to tell how I’d be. I wonder if I would need to have my nails done to match the outfit as that girl had in the video!
The caves are amazing. I wonder if I would cope because you can’t see the bottom – it being dark!
I don’t know if you watched it all.. but I cant do a trampoline .. I get motion sickness and disorientated!
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Well done for giving it a go. As with many of these things, you only have to do them once! They also teach you what you do/don’t like doing and are always a good story to tell. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Sounds like it may have put you off then Paxton. Marica seems to think there will be a next time for you from her comment! 😱
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Yes i married the wrong person didnt know what they were like & they didnt know me .I know the person i should have married at the time she made a mistake then 6 to 9 months later i made a mistake . Shame but we are still in touch she is still a wonderful as ever .
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Oh Paxton. That is such a shame, but fantastic that you are in touch. I wonder if she knows how you really feel .. none of my business. Not THAT is stepping out of ones comfort zone to tell someone how you feel about them when you may not know what their response is going to be!! …
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It was pretty horrendous to be honest Gill. I had done half of the smaller zip lines on my own and thought i was doing so well, until the ravine! It was a wonderful experience at some point, altho i couldn’t see the views due to having my eyes so tightly closed. I think numbness kicked in until i got back onto terra firma. When my daughter gets home from work i’ll see if she has any photo’s or video’s 🙃, it was only 2 years ago so she should, you know what kids are like with their phones.
You never know Gill, you might embrace the opportunity one day 😊
Ahhhh bungy jumping is something i could never do either 😳, i never get how people enjoy risking their life at the end of a giant elastic band, nooooo
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I watched people bungee jumping in N.Z. and thought they must be bonkers to risk it. I bet there must be a tremendous adrenaline rush though!
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Well I think its admirable!
This has just made me think though, I have been in a hot air balloon! Now believe it or not, I was absolutely fine with this. There is no perspective, no line of a building or mountain or cliff to draw the eye down its length to the bottom. There is just space. It was an amazing experience and I loved it. The one person in the basket who didn’t like it was 6’4 and he felt decidedly vulnerable. For me at 5′ the height of the basket was to my armpits, so I could just put my arms along the side and enjoy. He on the other hand had no protection! I am also ok in a cable car. I have never been on a ski lift though. Dangling my feet over the edge of a big drop is a fear.
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Carol – put it on your list asap. Don’t put it off, when it can be done, book it up! We did a morning ride – 5.30am. So peaceful, so still, you can feel the warmth of the blast of flame into the balloon to keep you afloat (not sure afloat is the right word), just drifting along looking at the patchwork landscape below, the air very still and the early morning sun shining on us. The balloon flights only operate when the weather is still, and it is amazing and over way too quickly!
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i’ve always wanted to go up in hot air balloon Gill, i wrote to Jim’ll Fix it but he never got back to me 🤷♀️.
Oh wow, i bet he was terrified of tipping over. At least you were the right height to enjoy the views 😊
I don’t know if i could do a ski lift either for the exact same fear….dangling over when so high up.
I have always had a childhood dream of standing on top of the Eiffel Tower with a loved one, it’s never happened….maybe a blessing as it’s higher than i thought 😂, i don’t know about the Eiffel Tower, i’ve never even been up Blackpool Tower!
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I have done things that were terrifying like going on holiday on my own (not Solo’s either) or driving long distances etc . But I will say that many of the things I tried did not always work out well and now I am far more wary of going through anything like that again due to the issues I had. However, I have flown a plane,, held snakes, done a hi sky parachute behind a boat on holiday and also done some of the awful rides at Disney (which am petrified of) thanks to my husband not telling me how scary they were(He loved them!!) The rides are something I won’t be doing again!!
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Thank you but I feel people have done far more than me. I loved planes and would have liked my licence but my first marriage blew up in a big way after my first lesson plus I was getting over cancer treatment and had radiotherapy due . So I knew I would not be able to keep up the lessons and apart from the cost , what would I do with qualification anyway? It would just be there with no use to it and then I would lose the ability
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WOW Marica.. you gave it a go!
I did go on one scary ride at Disney because it has just re-opened after lighting strike. I didn’t have time to think, I was whisked straight onto the ride and screamed all the way round the loop the loop… never ever again!
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Wow Marica, i like your style. You go girl 😊.
I daren’t even walk into a pub on my own…. well not yet anyway.I have a feeling that the strength and encouragement i’m getting from you guys will be making a positive impact on me and my future.
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The Bas Lerman song said do something you fear so I went on Doctor Doom in Universal!!!!!!!! I think we should get out of our comfort zone – it allows us to grow. However, facing your fear – eh no no no – it didn’t work for me and it was a terrible experience. So I think we have to contemplate that comfort zone – maybe the terrifying zone is a step to far!!!!
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Taking on a mortgage for my first home many years ago when faced with redundancy but willing to take a risk when listening to wise words from grandfather to go for it. Really out of comfort zone but thankfully it paid off and it has paved the way since to become more adventurous.
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Yes, learning definitely can make us stronger and more resilient which helps with coping with life. Nevertheless, we often focus on big, sweeping statements that take us out of our comfort zones like jumping out of a plane etc However, there is just as much courage needed sometimes for doing small daily things or challenging ourselves as we get older that can be overlooked. For example, I recently signed up for a proofreading course and was nearly going to throw the towel in on my last assignment. I am glad I didn’t though as I ended up getting an A! Does anyone else have any ‘everyday achievements’ to share?
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I am so glad you carried on with it , Christine. I agree, achievement can be seen as different by many people. For some , even getting out of bed for a day can be the biggest achievement of their week if low. That can be worth more to someone and their family than any sky dive
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My fear is get on a plane I have terrible nightmares before flying out not that I don’t like going anywhere just hate the flights get really sick on planes people just don’t want me around on a plane the last time we flew out the pilot had to come and sit next to me to calm me down.
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I’m a keen scuba diver. Five years ago I went to South Africa and Mozambique with some friends for some shark diving. Rolling off the boat, knowing that you are going to be sharing that environment with apex predators is a little nerve wracking to say the least. We saw bull sharks and tiger sharks – it was an amazing experience.
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Hi Steve Well done you! The upside is that you are still here though and the reward for trying must have been incredible!
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I have read all these stories on this post & of many peoples phobias of many situations.
Fortunately for me I don’t have any phobias,
inabitions of fear of what life may present.
which has been useful.
In 1979 when I was 26
I travelled from East to West in Canada.
Arriving in New York on a
single one way ticket,
with no credit cards &
only £600 in travelers cheques in those days.
Long story short.
Arriving in Vancouver & running low on cash I buy a used Greyhound bus ticket which unbeknown to me is illegal.
Heading down to
Los Angeles as it was $30
cheaper to fly from there than from Vancouver.
However at the border at Seattle which is the entry point back into America, 3 customs officers were debating wether to let me in as at this point I had no return flight ticket, inserfisiont money & no credit cards
the situation was looking bleak & LA was at least a days journey away.
So I literally sold myself back in.
In an all American way using ultra high pressure I’d learnt whilst working for a American sales company selling an American product to Americans based in the Army in West Germany in the early 1970ts.
By giving them loaded questions that only require a yes answer.
On the principle that if you get people your selling to, to say yes many times it will be difficult to say no at the end.
Eg.
I have a American Visa don’t I?
I have a valid bus ticket to get me to LA don’t I etc.
First one who speaks loses that is how to sell products in America.
Plus 7/8 more loaded questions till eventually
i shut up until one of them after several minutes of silence shrugged his shoulders & stamped my Visa to enter.
True story.
There’s more to this story
but you get the gist.
I bought my return ticket
& made it back to the UK after a two month trip on my own.
That particular trip remains one of my all time best ever travel experiences.
Would this qualify for out of your comfort zone?-
Hi Thanks, for sharing. Yes, I believe it would ‘qualify’ especially as you probably didn’t have a ‘safety net’ at the time eg nobody to help bail you out and had to think on your feet quite literally. You also used techniques you had in your ‘life experience tool kit’ already so well done you! It is probably one of your best trips for those reasons as the steep learning curve and rewarding feelings must have been very memorable. It also didn’t dampen your motivation for travel if you are still doing it until today :).
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I know this sounds minor, but the first time I let my puppy off the lead was distinctly uncomfortable. Since my husband passed away, I have become a bit dependent on her, but I also know she has to be able to run around like any other dog. It has taken lots of training to get 100% recall but we have got there. I still don’t let her off in the woods yet, but that will happen as soon as I get the courage.
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It doesn’t sound minor at all especially when it involves having to control another being! Sounds like you’re doing great and I’m sure your husband would have been proud of you 🙂
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It’s an interesting question, because I’m sure it’s a cause of a lot of anxiety for people, and probably ranges from simple not feeling comfortable with certain actions, to things that really prevent you doing things you want to do. I missed out on a lot of experiences when I was younger and in my first marriage, so later on I’ve done my best to through myself into things whether they were comfortable or not. Like many here, to challenge my fear of heights I went zip wiring in Colorado, which was billed as the state’s highest and fastest wire. Oddly I didn’t have any fear of heights doing it, I think because I knew I was secure, the ground was going too fast, and the air was so thin everyone was dizzy anyway! Probably the thing that’s pushed me most recently was at work, and having to deliver training via Teams to about thirty Middle Eastern CFOs and FDs. It’s not my job, and I had a lot of anxiety the night before!
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Thanks Colin for replying. Yes, its quite complex which your response exemplifies. I have similar experiences to you too but stemming from childhood where I was in situations where I had to ‘sink or swim’ so to speak. Things don’t always work out but you won’t find out if you don’t step outside your comfort zone.
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Lots of really inspiring replies here! For people who need a little coaxing out of their comfort zone, we’ve written a piece on this topic which might help:
https://restless.co.uk/health/healthy-mind/18-ways-to-step-outside-of-your-comfort-zone
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I’ve always had a fear of water as I nearly drowned in a ditch when I was about 3! A few years ago I went to Egypt and there was snorkeling trip to see the coral reefs. A lovely handsome bloke showed me how to use the snorkel and started me off in the shallows. He then helped me to swim to the coral reefs fully life jacketed up. It was absolutely amazing. I completely forgot my fears and didn’t want to come out of the sea. It helped that the sea was really warm. Brilliant experience! So pleased I did it 🙌 😊
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Im afraid of heights. When I was 68 I saw an ad about zip wiring for charity.
At the time I was having health problems and felt my body was determining my life. I thought Im going to take back control. So I signed up to zip wire from the Tyne Bridge. I was terrified, but felt triumphant afterwards. My brain had taken it’s revenge by dangling my body on a wire above the Tyne 😊. Whose the daddy? -
Well done you! You should feel very proud of yourself for facing your fear head on. What’s next? 😉
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Hi Christine,
Thank you lol With social distancing though lockdown being so limiting, I decided that I would probably be quite safe up on a horse. So I started riding lessons. Waiting for the stables to reopen so I can finish my course. It’s quite exciting – and just high enough from the ground for me.Annella
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I’d been working in education for years – the pay was crap for what you had to do and endure. I got myself in debt and my son said to me that I need to change jobs. So I did and moved into healthcare and I’ve never looked back 😊👍
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I went from education to health care. I enjoy it too 😀
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