Tag: comfort

On lacking importance, but still comforting and worthy

Claes Oldenburg Ice Cream Sundae on Tray 1962

When I was younger, I wanted to engage with what I considered Important, especially when it came to important works of art. I thought such engagement would help me become a better person, among other things.

I still think it is good to engage in the Important, be that the visual arts or literature or even fine dining. But I think it is good to engage in the flip side of that. For some the flip side could be disposable fiction or trashy TV or fast food. Not everything you engage with has to be life changing.

I thought of that again when I was going over this piece, In Praise of Comfort Films – kottke.org and looking at the art work on display here: Monument to the Unimportant | Pace Gallery – www.pacegallery.com. It’s interesting that for comfort films, they cite The Big Lebowski, Perfect Days, Mon Oncle, Kiki’s Delivery Service and more. They may bring comfort, but they are also fine if not great films. Likewise for the artwork at the Pace Gallery: the subject matter may be ordinary but the works themselves are not. And that’s the thing: work that is comforting or everyday may be just as great as work that is difficult or extraordinary.

Perhaps that’s the thought to take away from this: the common and comforting are also important, if not Important, and they can be great in their own way. Just like all of us are great in our own way, no matter how important or unimportant we may seem to some.

Getting out of your comfort zone gives you a new and better comfort zone

During the pandemic I have found myself retreating into my comfort zone. It makes sense to some degree: life is hard enough with the lockdowns and worse that this stupid disease has brought us: why make things harder?

What I have realized now though is my comfort zone has shrunk as I retreated to it more and more. This has led to a bad downward spiral. Take exercise, for example. A 30 minute run used to be in my comfort zone while a 60 minute run was not. But as I exercised less during the pandemic, now even a 5 minute run is barely in my comfort zone anymore.

This made me realize that to have a larger comfort zone, you need to regularly go outside your old comfort zone and get uncomfortable. Staying in your comfort zone only shrinks it. But by going outside it more, you expand it. Having a larger comfort zone means you feel more comfortable and in control more often.

I’m going to start pushing on the boundaries of my comfort zone not because it is fun, but because I want a bigger one. I believe life is better when you do that.

One provision I would add is to make sure that when you go outside your boundaries it is in the direction of growth, not harm. Some people avoid going outside their comfort zone because they are afraid of getting hurt. Other people go too hard (eg runners) and end up returning to their old comfort zone and get stuck. Don’t do those things. Be gradual and be consistent as you stretch yourself: that’s the best way to expand your comfort zone.

On using your comfort zone effectively


When people use the term “comfort zone”, they are talking  about  getting out of it. They say you need to get out of your comfort zone to grow. The problem with that is it implies the comfort zone is a bad place. And it isn’t.

It is true you need to leave it to grow. But you don’t always need to be growing. Sometimes you need to care for yourself. You need to recharge, repair, recover. During those times finding your comfort zone and staying in it is the right thing to do.

I recommend you be aware of your comfort zone and leave it when you want to grow and improve yourself. And stay in it when you need to get yourself back to where you need to be. This is the best way to use your comfort zone.

(Photo by Luca Dugaro on Unsplash)