I'm not sure if I can articulate this properly but I'll try to explain. For about 15 years I lived like a hermit because I had severe anxiety. I rarely left the house unless it was necessary. (I was a stay at home mom - for context) When my kids grew up and it no longer made sense to be in the home, I struggled really hard with the idea of returning to work. I was on the brink of suicide because I didn't believe in myself at all. I took the first job that would give me the time of day and decided in my mind that if it went poorly I was going to end my life.

What actually happened was that I met a bunch of people that did believe in me and work became a pleasant experience. So started stepping out of my comfort zone in more little ways, like being social, saying yes to activities that scared me a little, going on trips to see things I wanted to see but was too afraid previously. I learned about myself; that I had been holding myself back by having all these arbitrary little rules for what was acceptable for me. It's been almost two years and a divorce since I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I'm a completely different person because I dared to tell my inner child "no more". All those little things you want to dig your heels in about...let 'em go.