IT'S TIME TO SWITCH THINGS UP

That nervous feeling you get when you think about trying something new? It can be a force for good—if you use it wisely.

- Brittany Burke

CHANCES ARE you have a bit of a daily routine. Perhaps it goes something like this: a morning boot-camp class followed by your favorite smoothie, your usual salad at the place around the corner for lunch, then finishing work around the same time each day and heading home to catch up on your DVR. And the older you get, the more likely you are to stick to what you know. “As we age, we get set in our ways, and leaving our comfort zone can elicit anxiety or even fear,” explains Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in New York City. But never trying anything new can backfire big-time. “Pushing ourselves to try things can lead to more productivity and creativity,” explains Hartstein. But how do you know when and how much to push yourself? We consulted the experts.

In the Zone

Simply put, your comfort zone is a place you feel safe and stress-free. It can be a physical location (think your childhood bedroom) that puts you at ease or a series of behaviors that are familiar and therefore reassuring. What’s more, everybody needs one— particularly when life goes haywire. Say, for example, a work project blows up. Being able to turn on autopilot in certain areas of life (ordering takeout from the spot you know is healthy and good, or relying on the route home that always has the least amount of traffic) helps you reserve energy and use it to handle the chaos.