By definition, your comfort zone is where you feel most comfortable—you’re in control, you don’t feel anxious, you feel secure. My comfort zone is in my house, on my couch, with a good book or something interesting on television, or at my laptop playing The Sims or writing these blog posts. I don’t mind being alone. I certainly don’t mind not having plans. My perfect weekend is an empty calendar.

Can I be social? Of course. Have I given presentations at work to a room full of people? I have. Do I get a boost of energy from it? Absolutely not! So of course, I married a social butterfly and then had a daughter who takes after her father.

As long as I can remember, I have been an introvert. Not shy…let me be clear about that. I’m not afraid to talk to people. I don’t get anxious talking to people. But my social battery runs out quickly, and I need time to myself.

I have mentioned many times before that I have always been a reader. Taking a book wherever I go is not something I even have to think about. It just…is. No matter where I am, if I feel stressed or out of place or bored, I will take out my Kindle or use the Kindle app on my phone. My books take me out of whatever situation I’m in and put me into my comfort zone.

The first time I really thought about defining my personality as introvert versus extrovert was in college when I took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It wasn’t a quick Internet version of the test either. It was the full-blown, have-to-send-it-in-for-assessment version. The results categorize your preferences into one of 16 personality types using combinations of introversion or extroversion (I or E), sensing or intuition (S or N), thinking or feeling (T or F), and judging or perceiving (J or P). Again, it doesn’t mean you can’t be the opposite. It just indicates your preference for dealing with the world around you.

Corinne’s birthday parties are actually a classic example of my INTJ type. As I mentioned, she is a social butterfly. Every year, her invitation list has gotten increasingly larger (much to my dismay). But I would go all out for her parties when she was younger. Home-made cakes, planned activities, games with prizes…all with the intent of making sure everyone had a great time.

The parties would always be on a Saturday, and I would typically take four days off of work—the Thursday and Friday before to prepare and the Monday and Tuesday after to recover. Dennis would go back to work. Corinne would go back to school. And I would have two full days to myself to decompress and find my happy place (introvert).

But there’s something to be said for pushing outside my comfort zone, pushing past the introverted thinker to the extroverted feeler. If I hadn’t done that at one specific point in my life, I never would have married Dennis. We met in an online chat room, a very introverted thing to do. But after a few months, I followed my feelings and flew out to New York to meet him, and the rest, as they say, is history. 💜

As I think about my life now, and after finishing the amazing book reviewed below, I recognize the value in pushing outside my comfort zone. Not a lot…never a lot. That would be…uncomfortable. 😉 But breaking out once in while wouldn’t be a bad thing. Based on the past, when I step outside a little bit, even if I need to decompress after, good things can happen.

I’m an INTJ for life, but a little ESFP never hurt anyone.

---

Book Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

480 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 9, 2023
Purchased on Amazon.

Publisher’s Description

Hannah and Libby need a miracle. The PR agency they inherited from their grandmother is losing clients left and right, and the sisters are devastated at the thought of closing. The situation seems hopeless—until in walks Lou, an eccentric self-help guru who is looking for a new PR agency. Her business could solve all their problems—but there’s a catch. Whoever works with Lou must complete a 12-week challenge as part of her “Crush Your Comfort Zone” program.

Hannah, whose worst nightmare is making small talk with strangers, is challenged to go on twelve first dates. Libby, who once claimed to have period cramps for four weeks straight to get out of gym class, is challenged to compete in an obstacle course race. The challenges begin with Hannah helping Libby train and Libby managing the dating app on her sister’s behalf. They’re both making good progress—until Hannah’s first love rolls into town, and Libby accidentally falls for a guy she’s supposed to be setting up with her sister.

Things get even more complicated when secrets come to light, making the sisters question the one relationship they’ve always counted on: each other. With their company’s future on the line, they can’t afford to fail. But in trying to make a comeback to honor their grandmother, are they pushing themselves down the wrong path?

************

Main Characters:

• Libby Freedman – late 20s, co-owns Chicago-based PR firm Freedman Group with her younger sister, which they inherited from their grandmother GiGi; she is the outgoing, creative, client-facing side of the business
• Hannah Freedman – two years younger the Libby; more reserved and introverted than Libby, she manages the financial side of Freedman Group’s business
• Scott – Freedman Group’s office manager and only other employee, nicknamed Great Scott because of a video that went viral of him when he was six
• Josh Jacobson – Hannah’s high school and college boyfriend who broke her heart when he went to Australia and then broke up with her, recently returned to Chicago and staying with his parents
• Lou “Short for Louise, not Loser” – self-help guru with a podcast and a TED talk “Crushing Your Comfort Zone”; approaches Freedman Group to potentially be her PR firm, but requires Libby and Hannah to complete her 12-week challenge before making a decision
• Adam – owns a diner with his parents, matches with Hannah on a dating app as part of her 12-week challenge from Lou

Ali Brady does it again! The Beach Trap, the first joint effort by best friends Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey (Ali Brady 😉) ranked as a five-star read for me (This One Time at Summer Camp….). It thrilled me when I found out this powerhouse pair planned to release their second novel together, and it did not disappoint. (Doesn’t hurt that it’s set in sweet home Chicago.)

The chapters alternate between sisters Libby and Hannah, and we learn the most about each woman from her sister. Libby spends a lot of time thinking and talking about Hannah and vice versa. Both have insecurities. Libby loves romance novels and doesn’t believe that 2XL women get (deserve?) a happily ever after. Hannah avoids getting close to anyone. Her father left the family when they were young, and her childhood sweetheart Josh left her in college, so she feels like anyone she loves (with the exception of Libby) will leave. Neither woman is completely satisfied with her role in their PR firm, but neither wants to rock the boat or destroy their grandmother GiGi’s legacy.

Enter Lou (short for Louise, not Loser), self-help guru extraordinaire, who may want to hire Freedman Group as her PR firm for a new product line rollout. BUT she insists that Libby and Hannah walk the walk and crush their comfort zones if they want to earn her business. After completing an extensive questionnaire, Libby and Hannah each receive a different 12-week challenge, and of course the challenges bring out their biggest insecurities.

Up first is Hannah, who thrives in the mental and physical categories, so Lou wants her to focus on social and emotional. She must go on 12 dates in 12 weeks. For Libby, her avoidance of anything physical results in her challenge to complete as 12-week training program ending in an organized race or sporting event.

Of course, the sisters rely on one another. Libby helps Hannah with her dates, and Hannah creates the training plan for Libby. Throughout the 12 weeks, they are expected to write in the Crushing Your Comfort Zone journal, guided by daily prompts. And Lou also wants a proposal by the end of the summer. If they want any chance to win the contract, they must participate.

Let the challenge begin. 😊

I loved watching Libby and Hannah’s respective journeys and their growth along the way. Lou’s plan to push them out of their zones was, of course, spot on. And Libby and Hannah’s interactions are completely realistic. After a particularly grueling workout session the day before, Hannah tells Libby that the planned workout is just an interval walk-run. Libby responds with, “All I can do now is walk-hobble. It hurt to sit on the toilet last night. The toilet, Hannah.”

One of my favorite features in the book was the inclusion of some of the journal questions and Libby and Hannah’s responses.

“Week 1: Before you can leave your comfort zone, you need to know it intimately. Why did your comfort zone develop? When? What purpose does it serve? Only after you understand this can we begin to explore our reasons for remaining stuck.

Today, write about the earliest time in your life that you remember finding comfort in this metaphorical zone.”

I want a journal like this! And I hope you will take this journey with Libby and Hannah. I won’t tell you how everything plays out for them because, as Lou says, “You’ve got to play the game to win the prize….”

---

If you enjoyed this post, please comment below. Subscribe for regular updates, and share it with your friends. If you’re interested in starting a conversation, send an email to booksundertheblanket@gmail.com.

^{As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using the links on my site.}