“Get out of your comfort zone.” It’s a piece of advice that people love to pass along, and it suggests that you’re not really progressing — in fitness, in your job, in relationships, in life — unless you’re borderline miserable. Is discomfort really the key to progress?
As a trainer and intuitive-movement coach specializing in trauma-informed exercise and injury rehab, I’d argue no, it’s not — at least not if you’re seeking sustainable growth. Instead of going from feeling totally chill to flat-out burned out, I like to conceptualize controlled discomfort as just enough. This means you push yourself but not so hard that you’re wrecked. It’s about doing just enough to grow without crossing into that zone where you lose control. It’s growth without meltdown.
Change Without Burnout
The comfort zone is more than a place where you feel safe — it’s a state where everything is predictable, familiar, and often habitual. There’s no risk, but there’s also no real growth; it’s simply a steady rhythm of what’s known and expected.
Just beyond that comfort zone is where things start to get interesting. This is the space of just enough. Here, you’re not throwing yourself into complete chaos, but you are stepping into the unknown. There’s a bit of risk, but there’s also wonder, curiosity, and the potential for change. It’s the place where you push yourself beyond the routine, exploring new possibilities without diving so deep that you feel overwhelmed.
Just beyond that comfort zone is where things start to get interesting.
This is the space of just enough.
The progress you make here is more than simply checking a box or surviving a challenge. It’s learning something new, getting better at something, or building the capacity to keep growing.
The best part? This kind of progress doesn’t slip away once you’ve achieved it. You own it; you’re not just renting it. Because you’re working in the realm of just enough, you can recover faster and do it again tomorrow.
Controlled Discomfort
None of this is to suggest that you should avoid discomfort altogether. The goal is to manage it. Discomfort plays a crucial role in growth but only when it’s at the right level.
Think about doing a barbell back squat. If your mind’s wandering during your lift and you’re thinking about what to have for dinner or that text you forgot to send, you’re still in the green zone — too comfortable. Safe, sure, but you’re not growing.
Now, if you push too far into the red zone, that’s when things go sideways. If the weight is so heavy that all you can think about is how hard it is to lift or whether you’re going to get hurt, you lose focus. The discomfort is so great that you become overwhelmed and lose control.
The sweet spot? That’s the yellow zone. This is where you’re just uncomfortable enough that you have to be all in. You’re dialed in, aware of your form, fully present. You feel the challenge, but you’re not losing your mind over it. This is where the real work happens — on the edge but still in control.
Growth isn’t about diving headfirst into the deep end or staying cozy where nothing changes. It’s about finding that yellow zone — where you’re just uncomfortable enough to stay focused and push yourself, but you don’t push so far that you’re overwhelmed.
Pushing Just Enough
Next time you’re working out, or even tackling something in life, pay attention to where your mind goes. If you’re distracted, you’re too comfortable. If you’re worrying about failing or getting hurt, you’ve gone too far.
Your challenge: Start small. Find moments when you can push just enough while staying fully present. Add a bit more weight to the bar, take on a slightly bigger project at work, or step into a conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Build a habit of stretching your limits without snapping. Keep showing up, keep working in that yellow zone, and watch your capacity for progress grow.
This article originally appeared as “Explore Your Edges” in the May/June 2025 issue of Experience Life. Photographer: David Imms; Model: Joseph Witherspoon.
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