This blog post has been adapted from the transcription of the above video.

I was recently thinking about this concept of the "comfort zone” and why it’s important to go outside of this.

Imagine the comfort zone to be a circle which you’re comfortable in. Things are going smoothly and you're not really stretched beyond what you can handle. But in life, growth is important if we want to keep moving forward.

Man in maroon shirt and black shorts stooping down and preparing for a deadlift. — Just like growing your muscles at the gym, growing your comfort zone takes small steps, rather than huge, abrupt ones that could leave yourself “injured” instead.

Growing Our Muscle of Comfort

When we want to grow, we have to step outside of our comfort zone. One physical example of this would be when you're working out and you're lifting a heavy weight. For your muscles to grow, you actually have to stretch beyond what you can normally carry.

How do you determine the point at which you grow? When you're doing a set of 10 reps, which rep or count are you going to get the most amount of growth? Is it on the 8th rep? Is it on the 9th rep? No, it's the 11th rep that you will experience growth.

When you stretch outside of your comfort zone, that's where the growth is going to happen. However, you have to know that when you step outside of the comfort zone, it is uncomfortable. That's literally the definition of being outside of the comfort zone. But what's great is that if you take small tiny steps outside of your comfort zone, that zone will gradually grow and expand.

Sand by the beach with the word “LIMIT” drawn on the surface and a horizontal line above the word — Yes, going outside of your comfort zone can be a beneficial experience, but knowing your limits as well is important in order for you to make sustainable changes.

Going Beyond Your Comfort, But Still Knowing Your Limits

Of course you don't want to do too much outside of your comfort zone because that's going to lead to anxiety and pain. Just take small steps rather than huge ones. Going back to the example of the weights, if you're currently lifting 25 pounds and you try to do 100 pounds immediately, that's really not going to be sustainable. However if you go for 27.5 pounds, that would be much more manageable, yet still outside of the comfort zone.

Flesh-colored sneakers stepping inside a blue circle on a brown surface — Going through a ketamine experience can require you to go outside of your comfort zone because it requires courage to truly transform your life.

How Does Expanding Your Comfort Zone Relate To Ketamine Infusion Treatments?

For some, getting a ketamine infusion is going outside their comfort zone. There are many people who don’t understand or accept ketamine infusions as legitimate treatments, so for one individual going against the grain is expanding one’s comfort zone.

Someone else may not feel getting a ketamine infusion is outside their comfort zone, but instead they gained an insight during their ketamine experience that has inspired them to step into the uncomfortable. It can be any area of one’s life such as health, work, or even spirituality.

The thing is, comfort zones evolve and change over time. Sometimes the zone contracts in one area and expands in another area. And comfort zones are different for each person. We are firm believers that ketamine infusions are catalysts for change. Change is uncomfortable due to inevitable expansion of one’s comfort zone, but is a necessity for one to experience true transformation and live a more positive life.

Several wooden Rook chess pieces formed in one line with one placed in front of the others. — With ketamine, patience and understanding is important. It’s usually never easy to expand your comfort zone, so treat yourself with the kindness you deserve!

Conclusion: Ketamine and Comfort Zones

Whatever comfort-zone-expanding change you may experience as a result of a ketamine infusion, we are here to remind you to keep sustainability and patience in mind. Sustainable growth is a balance between stretching and knowing your limit. Go too far and you can do more harm than good. Stretch too little, and nothing changes.

We also encourage you to be kind and patient with yourself. Making positive changes that are for life isn’t something that can be done overnight. Give yourself grace and self-appreciation as you grow. Sometimes it’s helpful to think of yourself as a baby. Would you berate or yell at a baby when they fall after trying to walk? No! You would dust them off and cheer them on! So cheer yourself on!