Abandoning the routine and habits acquired in the professional environment is not always easy, but sometimes it is the only way to fulfill ourselves.
But although statistically the cases of stress and fatigue due to overwork or even Burnout syndrome have a good part of the culprit, the problem is not always in the accumulation of tasks to be carried out or in the existence of a bad work climate in the workplace. relationship with peers. Sometimes, the problem is precisely in what is missing, although it is difficult for us to realize that.
- It may interest you: “Anxiety when starting a new job: what to do to combat it”
In this article we will see what the fear of leaving your comfort zone is when it is applied professionally and why it is sometimes one of the paths you can take to feel more satisfied with your life.
What is the fear of leaving the comfort zone at work?
The comfort zone is the set of elements of our daily life in which we feel safe because we have become familiar with them and have a high degree of control over them. Thus, it includes both objects and places and social circles, usually made up of family and friends.
This comfort zone is reflected in the mental representations through which we interpret reality. These are networks of concepts, interconnected units of ideas that represent what we know well and with which we can interact safely, without triggering dangerous situations. This set of concepts allows us to navigate between the usual aspects of our day to day life, but if we are not careful, it also limits us, not allowing us to see beyond its limits.
For example, for some people, the idea of crossing the line between their comfort zone and what lies beyond it is disturbing, or downright terrifying in certain ways. As long as they don’t expose themselves to these situations, these people will always aspire to achieve the same goals, to visit the same places and interact with the same people.
An example of this is what happens in the case of the fear of leaving the work comfort zone, in which we assume that we will not be able to adapt to new challenges and that, therefore, we must always try to do more or least the same.
The problems it generates in the professional context
The professional field is governed, in part, by a tension: the difference between what we do and what is expected of us according to our job.
Even in cases in which the day-to-day work is not full of challenges that put our capacities to the limit, the idea that what we do can take on the level of complexity that we decide to add to it forces us to position ourselves before the question: What professional goals should I aspire to? That is, both the presence or absence of that discrepancy between what we get and what we should get has a psychological influence on us.
However, when faced with this question, many people end up assuming that the easier everything is, the better. It is a conclusion that is almost self-evident, something that is hardly worth stopping to think about: better to save energy than to spend it. But although it may seem counterintuitive, on many occasions taking such a limited horizon of possibilities for good turns out to be a real factor of psychological wear . These are the ways in which it negatively affects us.
1. Limit sources of motivation
In order to be emotionally connected to our work and that this does not lead us to emotional stagnation, it is important that it allows us to set medium and long-term goals. Without this kind of sources of motivation , we lose sight of how significant what we are doing is, and this ends up generating wear and tear in which everything that takes us away from earning money by making as little effort as possible is seen as a problem. The feeling of progressing disappears, and with it, the enthusiasm for what we do.
2. It leads us to passivity
In a large number of jobs and professional roles in general, proactivity is a key element, which makes the difference. Unfortunately, the fear of leaving our comfort zone makes us adopt a problem-avoidance mentality that is totally away from the necessary goal orientation. This means, for example, that some people work despite knowing that there is a serious error in the planning of the project they are in charge of, for not informing the appropriate person.
3. We lack flexibility
Work is much more than skills applied to a certain type of task: it is also a means of constant learning. But if we don’t get out of the comfort zone, there comes a point where we don’t learn anymore. This makes us more vulnerable to changes in the work environment, and makes us much more dependent on that particular job.
4. It affects self-esteem
Seeing our self-concept anchored in the same job as always makes us consider impossible challenges that, in reality, we could achieve if we set our minds to it. This, added to the fact of seeing how others progress and evolve professionally, often gives rise to self-esteem problems.
Are you interested in having professional psychological support?
If you find yourself in an unsatisfactory work situation and you are interested in having psychological advice, please contact me.
My name is Tomás Santa Cecilia and I am a psychologist specialized in the cognitive-behavioral intervention model and I work training and intervening in problems both in the personal sphere and in the work context. You can count on my services both in person in Madrid and through the online psychology format by video call.
Bibliographic references
- Huilcapi-Masacon, MR; Castro-López, GA & Jácome-Lara, GA (2017). Motivation: theories and their relationship in the business field. Scientific Magazine Domain of Sciences, 3 (2): pp. 311 – 333.
- Matteson, M.T. & Ivancevich, J.M. (1987) Controlling Work Stress: Effective resource and Management Strategies. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
- Truxillo, D.M.; Bauer, T. N.; Erdogan, B. (2016). Psychology and Work: Perspectives on Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Nueva York: Psychology Press.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
