Exercise:

Step 1: Imagine yourself at the center of these three circles.

The comfort zone is a place of rest and recuperation where you are relaxed and not challenged by anything you are doing.

The growth zone is a place of learning, where you are challenged in an exciting way. Here you might be acquiring a new skill or taking your capacities to a new level. This is often a place where people enter a state of flow.

The triggered zone is a place where you are over threshold and are operating in a state of emergency. This is often a place where our nervous systems go into a triggered response.

Step 2: Track Your Capacities

As you go through your day and your activities at work, ask yourself where you are on this map.

Pay attention to how much time you spend in each circle.

Step 3: Modulate Your Activities

If you find yourself in the triggered zone, take a break. Ask yourself what you could do to bring yourself back to the growth zone.

Shift to activities that can help you decompress (like going for a walk to clear your head). Find ways that work for you to regulate your nervous system so that you stay closer to the growth zone. This might require you to reduce the activities and interactions that send you into the third circle.

If you do this process as a daily practice, it can help you stay within your capacities.