Challenge by Choice: How Discomfort Builds Resilience by IvAnn Garcia-Dickerson

An experienced ice climber shows the ropes to a Colorado little during the Ouray Ice Festival. (photo credit; Dave Armlovich)

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​Do you remember when you left home to find your way in life? I remember being excited and nervous, but ultimately ready. Little did I know, I had so many things to learn, yet I was able to rise to most occasions. I think one of the biggest challenges parents face is the reality that their children will eventually be out in the world...without them. I didn’t really think about what my parents felt when I ventured out, but looking back, I imagine they were excited for me. I’m lucky because I grew up in an environment that helped me build resilience, and because of that resilience, I know my parents were not concerned with how I would face the world. They knew I wouldn’t shut down when a problem presented itself, but that is not the story for everyone. This article provides information for building resilience.

In the education sector, there exists a popular model referenced by educators as a tool to expand a student's academic learning. This model is known as the Learning Zone Model, constructed by Tom Senninger, and it’s largely based on Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. This model divides the experience of learning into three different zones:

1. The Comfort Zone - This is where we are confident in our ability and knowledge.
2. The Learning or Growth Zone - Here we are appropriately challenged and gain new skills and abilities from the experience.
3. The Alarm or Panic Zone - This zone exceeds what we are familiar with and is outside our ability to understand.

I was first introduced to this model when I worked at the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Outdoor Program where I would take fellow students on outdoor trips. I’ve now taught Orienteering and Backpacking at CMU as an adjunct faculty for the past two years. The Learning Zone Model is popular in outdoor experiential learning—here’s how you can apply it to your life.
 
On outdoor trips, I would often have several participants who had never done mountaineering, canyoneering, rafting, etc. let alone set up a tent. For many this was their first time experiencing outdoor recreation, and without knowing anyone else on the trip, their support system consisted of fellow “green” participants. They had to rely on and trust in the leaders of the trips, who were fellow college students. There was a fine line then to walk as a trip leader between the Learning Zone and the Alarm Zone.

When we do something challenging or outside of our comfort zone, several coordinated brain systems activate. Our brain detects uncertainty or a threat and evaluates, “Is this safe?”. The part of our brain known as the amygdala, in charge of triggering the fight or flight response, detects threats and signals the hypothalamus and HPA axis (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal system). The HPA axis regulates cortisol and adrenalin, it will then release that cortisol and adrenalin to help the body prepare for action. Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex takes on the planning and preparation for managing the situation causing stress.
 
Here’s where it gets fun!
 I've the pleasure of facilitating the resilience of one's brain in these stressful situations. Take, for example, an ice climbing trip—the participant may not be confident in how to wear or use the gear, and they are nervous and unsure what to do. This is new territory, something unfamiliar, and it’s cold to boot. They are properly tied into a rope and the gear is adjusted and explained and then they are directed to the ice wall. With some words of encouragement and direction (not to mention the rope pulling them upwards), the student attempts to wedge the ice pick in the wall and fails. But just barely. The prefrontal cortex analyzes and adjusts and the student tries again and succeeds. They then climb up the wall, building a new skill as they manipulate their body to climb. Suddenly this environment which was cold, uncomfortable, and unknown has been changed to a new perspective as dopamine is released in the brain. They think, “Being cold and unsure doesn’t necessarily mean I won't have fun.” After climbing they return home to a warm, safe, and known environment where reflection takes place. Synapses strengthen, myelination increases (signals travel faster), and the prefrontal cortex becomes more efficient at regulating emotion. We have just successfully expanded the tolerance for uncertainty, literally growing what is inside our comfort zone with what we call “tolerable stress”.

This is especially crucial for children as they develop. Children need tolerable stress in order to build stronger stress regulation systems and increase executive function. There is an important distinction to be made though. While tolerable stress is important, there is also “toxic stress” which can cause long-term health and learning problems as well as psychological harm. When children are overprotected the stress system remains undertrained—children never experience anything outside of the comfort zone, and when they do, the prefrontal cortex is overwhelmed and shuts down. They are unable to cope with new and challenging situations; it is outside of their ability to understand and process. The Learning Zone almost does not exist, and the Alarm Zone is too easy to enter for them. Along the same vein, when a child is overwhelmed without support or brought back into the Comfort Zone for processing, the stress system becomes dysregulated, leading to the problems previously mentioned.

So how do you navigate the zones? There’s a fun phrase used with this model and in the outdoor recreation sector: “challenge by choice”. I’ve had many participants who could not continue an activity even after encouragement, and even though the social pressure helped to push people through their uncertainty on trips, those people who entered the Alarm Zone always verbalized their fear and inability to continue. At that point, it was important to stop and bring them back into a safe space or as close as you could to their Comfort Zone. The biggest thing to note: this is OKAY. This model is popular mainly because it provides a framework through which we can navigate stress responses, and sometimes that navigation calls for you to walk away and/or start smaller to build your way up.

You shouldn’t always strive to make things easy. You will never grow. Life also has a funny way of continuing despite your comfort—it likes to throw situations at you. Being able to navigate yourself and regulate your own stress systems when it does is one of the greater gifts you can give yourself, and, if you are a parent, one of the best ways you can prepare your child for the world they will have the pleasure of exploring. This kind of resilience sets kids up for success as they navigate new and challenging experiences throughout their lives, which is why it’s crucial for them to experience manageable challenges, many of which can be found most effectively in outdoor pursuits.

If you are looking for challenges for yourself or your children, many opportunities already exist in local recreation departments and outdoor provider offerings. These courses are led by experienced guides and allow for exciting fun new experiences. Some possible links to nearby adventure opportunities are listed here - others can be found on line: https://www.montroserec.com/
https://thenatureconnection.net/
https://www.gjparksandrec.org/1462/Parks-Recreation
https://www.coloradocanyonsassociation.org/
https://www.coloradomesa.edu/outdoor-program/index.html
https://www.cityofdelta.net/parksrecgolf/page/recreation-center