If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I love experiencing new things that push me out of the routine of sameness and familiarity. I believe getting out of your comfort zone is the best way to learn, grow and make remarkable things happen.
However, this week I found myself doing the reverse: seeking familiarity within the chaotic, foreign environment that is New York City. And I found it in the form of CrossFit.
This city is crazy busy.
Everyone is off doing something, going somewhere, meeting someone. People walk super fast, and don’t even wait for the lights to turn green. To go from my hometown Melbourne where I have family, close friends and numerous networks, to a dense, pulsating megalopolis with only a few connections has been overwhelming to say the least.
To get by in this city, I’ve discovered, you HAVE to put yourself out there, you HAVE to network and you HAVE to be proactive and assertive. All of which I am excited to do, but I am starting to learn that too much too soon is certainly going to stress me out.
So I’ve decided a good starting point to cushion my landing into the New York social scene is to join CrossFit. A massive CrossFit box (they call it ‘The Black Box’) is only a 20 minute walk from me, so I checked it out and have signed up for a month.
Having done CrossFit for over a year now, I’m very used to the movements, equipment, language (some would say ‘jargon’) and the class formats. As everything in CrossFit is standardised, I found I was able to slip straight into the classes quite comfortably. The only odd thing was working in lbs instead of kg (but it was a good conversation starter!).
It felt good and reassuring to know that this was a place where I could relate to the people, talk to them easily and feel that sense of ‘belonging’ that all of us humans desire! I know it’s going to make the transition into this brand new world just that little bit less daunting.
Trying new stuff is great.
But as with everything in life, too much too soon can be a shock to the system, leaving us overwhelmed, mentally exhausted and even physically sick (or in the case of travel, homesick!).
Moving to a new city – especially one as fast-paced as New York – has been such a huge leap for me, so I’m happy taking baby steps towards familiarising myself with the way of life. Joining a local CrossFit box has been a great starting point. From there, I’ll figure out my next move. And eventually…maybe I’ll get comfortable with being uncomfortable!
Have you ever felt overwhelmed in an unfamiliar environment? What did you do to find familiarity? I’d love hear your thoughts! Simply leave a comment below 🙂
