Challenge Yourself. Leave Your Comfort Zone.

by Stephanie Trottier · July 19, 2019

By: Paripa Michelle Ganou

The comfort zone can be defined as a safe environment where an individual can keep a routine that minimizes stress and risk. It is a comfortable mental space. Leaving your comfort zone is a crucial step in getting more life experience. In fact, traveling, discovering new things, learning, and meeting different people, are all ways to challenge yourself. These are also things that make studying abroad great for personal and academic growth. It is an opportunity to learn new things and be more open minded. Studying abroad pushes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you. It takes courage and determination to be in an entirely new environment.

Studying abroad can be stressful, difficult, and demanding. International students have to face many personal challenges, such as culture shock, language issues, loneliness, depression and so on. It is not easy to adjust to a new life and culture. You must learn to adapt and live in another culture where the language and values are different from your own. You may want to seek the company of students from your home country or similar culture to comfort you during difficult times. Having a network of people you are comfortable with is important. However, as scary as it sounds, one of the best ways to help you adjust to life abroad is to meet new people—have conversations, make friends, learn new languages. This will help you adapt to your new life. If you only surround yourself with people from home, you may keep the same habits or routine, talk to the same people, in the same language, and be stuck in your comfort zone. You will miss the opportunity to learn about different values and cultures. Moreover, you will miss the opportunity to improve your English skills.

Staying with people from the same country is tempting and comforting, but it also affects your learning and ability to adapt to your new life. From my own experience, when I first came to the United States, I was afraid to talk to native speakers. I thought they would laugh at my English and judge me. However, I realized that they are more accepting that I thought. I studied and practiced with native speakers. I became more confident in my abilities. I told myself that even if people are laughing at me, I must ignore them because I have a goal: to speak English fluently and complete my degree. Even though I had friends from country, I made the decision to make more friends, especially from the United States. It was the best decision I made because I found great friends and I get to practice my English a lot.

Leaving your comfort zone is also about experiencing new things. It is important to expose yourself to activities you have never done before. For instance, during my first months in the United States, I went rock climbing in St. Cloud State University’s Halenbeck Hall Gym with my friends. I have never done it before but I had so much fun and I met amazing people during this activity. Better yet, this was a free activity on campus—trying new things does not have to cost you anything. Minnesota is also famous for its winters. Luckily, I got to experience this my first semester. I went to a ski resort near the twin cities. I went snowboarding and skiing for the first time in my life. Even if I broke my leg, it still would have been a fun experience for me. I got to learn so many new things by being open to new experiences. I encourage anyone traveling to a new place, especially international students, to step out of their comfort zone. You will learn more from your experiences than what you read in a textbook or online. I suggest making a list of things you want to try and checking them off when you have completed them. Try pushing your boundaries by doing the following: