Going somewhere new or trying something different can make all of us feel a bit anxious. For many of us the impact of the covid pandemic and the lockdowns that came with it has made that feeling even worse. It’s very understandable that when we feel anxious we might want to stay in familiar routines and places. This might be described as our ‘comfort zone’. It sounds like a very nice place to be! The only problem with staying in our comfort zone too long is we can end up getting a bit trapped by it. We might turn down invitations to try new things and generally avoid new experiences. It’s completely understandable and we’ve probably all done it.
Over time though this avoidance can lead to us becoming more isolated and even more anxious. It just makes the problem worse. One of the many wonderful things about the Gig and Sports Buddies projects is that they can help you overcome this problem. We recently heard about how a pair of buddies were able to take very practical steps to help one of them move outside of their comfort zone.
The buddies had arranged to go to a gig at Factory Live in Worthing. The problem was that as much as he wanted to see the band, the idea of going into a new venue at night when it was full of people was very scary for one of the buddies. Help was at hand though. Our volunteer put in a call to the venue and spoke to the manager Craig. As a supporter of the Stay Up Late charity and Gig Buddies project Craig was more than happy to invite the buddies into the venue during the daytime (while it was still closed and not busy). They were able to have a good look around and get used to the surroundings. They even had the added bonus of getting to see a band doing a soundcheck. This was a great opportunity for our buddy to be put more at ease and start to feel much more comfortable in a new venue.
They are now both looking forward to lots of gigs at this fantastic venue.
We can’t thank Craig and all at Factory Live enough for offering this opportunity. So, if you are feeling anxious about going somewhere new, speak to your buddy about maybe going along when it’s quiet. We’ve found many venues are more than happy to help out.
– Malcolm (West Sussex Gig Buddies Coordinator)