The Radcliffe Camera – a historic library at the University of Oxford (where Dr. Roberts studied abroad)

The College Series:

Study Abroad: Navigating Challenges & Finding Balance

by Taylor Ureta, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Welcome back, Thrivers! As the academic year is taking off, here’s part two of my personal study abroad series! In the first part, I detailed the challenges I faced and the lessons I learned while traveling abroad. Now, in part two, we’re gonna explore how stepping outside your comfort zone, whether through travel or other challenges, can lead to personal growth and resilience.

Building Resilience Through Discomfort

Traveling abroad constantly challenges you to step outside your comfort zone. Everyday you are experiencing something new and pushing yourself beyond what’s familiar and safe. You’re constantly faced with new experiences that push you beyond what’s familiar, sometimes exciting, but other times it can be uncomfortable or even anxiety-inducing. It’s in these moments of discomfort that real growth happens, stretching your limits and helping you to build resilience.

For me, studying abroad was all about managing that discomfort and learning to adapt to new situations. Every weekend we traveled to a new place, each with its own set of challenges—from navigating unfamiliar streets to trying to communicate in a different language. It was thrilling, but also incredibly overwhelming. There were several moments where I felt completely lost, whether it was ordering food, asking for directions, or figuring out cultural norms. But those feelings of uncertainty became part of the experience. With each challenge, I was pushed to adapt, embrace the discomfort, and ultimately use it as a stepping stone for growth.

The Power of Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

Research supports this connection between stepping outside your comfort zone and personal development. An article published in Psychology Today highlights how challenging yourself pushes you to utilize untapped knowledge and resources (Brenner, 2015). Without stepping out of your comfort zone, you may never tap into your full potential. When we challenge ourselves, whether through travel, learning new skills, or taking risks, we activate parts of ourselves we didn’t even know existed.

This process of intentionally pushing our limits is closely tied to the concept of the Personal Growth Initiative (PGI). PGI focuses on an individual’s intentional involvement in their growth. PGI encourages proactive personal development, linking it to self-actualization and overall well-being. Research shows that higher PGI levels are associated with greater life satisfaction, assertiveness, and positive emotions (Verdood et al., 2024). Ultimately, embracing PGI not only enhances personal growth but also leads to a more fulfilling and resilient life.

Embrace Your Own Personal Growth

You don’t have to travel across the world to experience the benefits of stepping outside your comfort zone. Growth can happen in the smallest of the moments, especially once you start looking for those opportunities. For me, one of the biggest areas of growth was recognizing how I responded to frustration. I noticed that reacting negatively only made

situations harder, and learning to manage those emotions became a key part of my personal development. While studying abroad, I faced countless obstacles that tested my patience and adaptability and forced me to rethink how I handled stress. But the truth is, you don’t need a major life change to work on this, because in reality everyday life gives us plenty of opportunities to grow.

So, how can you apply this to your own life? The key to stepping outside your comfort zone and inviting growth is to shift your mindset—seeing discomfort not as something to fear, but as an opportunity to grow. Start by paying attention to those moments where you feel hesitant, whether it’s speaking up or trying something new. Rather than avoiding those situations, try to lean into that discomfort. Remind yourself that feeling uncomfortable isn’t a bad thing but a natural part of stepping out of your comfort zone. 

So, Thrivers, what’s one step you can take this week to push beyond your comfort zone?

Have a story about your own study abroad or travel experiences or need support from a California therapist during your study abroad experience? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to talk about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Brenner, A. (2025, December 27). 5 Benefits of Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-flux/201512/5-benefits-of-stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone 

Verdoodt, K., Simons, M., de Hoog, N., Reijnders, J., & Jacobs, N. (2024). Personal growth initiative across the life span: a systematic review protocol of quantitative studies using the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II. Systematic reviews, 13(1), 127. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-024-02546-9