I find this topic really insightful, Thank you! It reminds me of the idea of the comfort zone, stretch zone, and panic zone from a book I recently read.
The comfort zone is where we feel safe but don’t grow much. The panic zone is too far outside, where things feel overwhelming. But the stretch zone, that is the space where real chemistry happens. It’s just beyond what we’re used to, but still grounded in what we know.
So maybe the best approach or balance isn’t to leap into something totally new, but to stretch ourselves toward new areas that still relate to our strengths. That way, we’re gain new ideas and knowledge while staying grounded.
I read about this idea in a Chinese book called Cognitive Awakening, but sadly there's no English version. So I looked it up online and also asked ChatGPT. Turns out the Comfort Zone–Stretch Zone–Panic Zone framework is pretty popular in education, coaching and personal development, but it didn’t really come from one specific person or book, it kind of developed over time, based on a mix of psychological theories. One of the earliest is the Yerkes–Dodson Law from 1908, which links performance to stress levels. I also found a couple of English books like Stretch Zone and The Comfort Crisis, the second one seems to be really well-reviewed.
I find this topic really insightful, Thank you! It reminds me of the idea of the comfort zone, stretch zone, and panic zone from a book I recently read.
The comfort zone is where we feel safe but don’t grow much. The panic zone is too far outside, where things feel overwhelming. But the stretch zone, that is the space where real chemistry happens. It’s just beyond what we’re used to, but still grounded in what we know.
So maybe the best approach or balance isn’t to leap into something totally new, but to stretch ourselves toward new areas that still relate to our strengths. That way, we’re gain new ideas and knowledge while staying grounded.
That sounds like a great conceptualization. Do you mind sharing what book that is from?
I read about this idea in a Chinese book called Cognitive Awakening, but sadly there's no English version. So I looked it up online and also asked ChatGPT. Turns out the Comfort Zone–Stretch Zone–Panic Zone framework is pretty popular in education, coaching and personal development, but it didn’t really come from one specific person or book, it kind of developed over time, based on a mix of psychological theories. One of the earliest is the Yerkes–Dodson Law from 1908, which links performance to stress levels. I also found a couple of English books like Stretch Zone and The Comfort Crisis, the second one seems to be really well-reviewed.
Thanks a lot!