Dealing With Change
Change is so difficult for many to deal with. Recently I experienced a ton of change all at once. In a year’s time we lost our beloved cat, Covid-19 hit, built my coaching business and created an LLC, we lost my father-in-law, adopted a “grief” kitten, bought a house, moved, I changed jobs, and bought a new car. Whew! That was a lot of change in a short amount of time.
What I realized when I reflect back on the past year is that all that change kept me busy from realizing all the things I was missing out on with the Covid bans in place. I guess you could say some of the changes helped me make the best of this pandemic time in my life.
For most people 2020 was one of the hardest years of their lives, or at the very least it had the most changes. I know for me, change was a blessing in 2020.
I’ve put together some tips to help you deal with change so that it’s not so scary.
Acceptance
This is probably the biggest step and the most necessary one. Accept that life will always be changing. It’s the one true thing you can depend on above all else. When you and your friends were hanging out in high school, it all changed when you graduated. There are and will be plenty more examples throughout your life.
Don’t Get Too Comfortable
The biggest changes seem to always happen when we are content or comfortable. While there may not be scientific evidence to back this up, you should always be ready for anything that comes your way. When you are comfortable in your situation is when you let your guard down which makes it more of a shock when something does change.
Talk About Your Feelings Towards Change
People tend to let things build up inside. They don’t talk about their situations, or if they do, they don’t talk to the right people. If the changes are at work, for instance, consider talking to your manager about the impact of those changes. Managers are human beings, despite what people otherwise believe. Present your concerns in a professional manner and try not to flare up your anger, even if it isn’t directed at your manager. Bear in mind that your manager may be dealing with the changes much the same as you are.
Try to Turn the Change in Your Favor
The phrase, “turn lemons into lemonade”, has widely been overused. However, it’s hard to deny the meaning of it and the impact from that meaning. If you are dealing with change, in one form or another, see what angles you can use to make it work to your benefit.
Keep Changes You Can Control to a Minimum
If you try to enact too many changes at once, it may overwhelm the people who are affected by them, including yourself. People need time to absorb those changes and incorporate them into their lives. If you bombard them with a bunch of changes, they will likely rebel, and you will be left picking up the pieces. Sometimes, the changes you put into place can't be helped. But, if you do have control over them, try to introduce them slowly over time.
Join Support Groups
Some changes will impact people where they need the support of others. This can happen when death strikes, someone is diagnosed with a long-term illness, or perhaps you or a loved one is trying to give up a type of addiction, etc. There may be other types of changes where people need to reach out. Seek out the help of others who are going through similar circumstances as you are.
Trust Your Instincts
People may be forced into situations or decisions that go against what they believe in. If you find yourself in such a situation, it’s best to go with your gut or trust your instincts. If the change doesn’t feel right and you have no power to counter it, try to remove yourself from the situation if you feel strongly about it.
Change Can Lead to Unforeseen Opportunities
This goes in line a bit with the lemonade from lemons, but when you start to focus on change being something that is good, opportunities will be more open to you. They have a way of finding you. These opportunities may not have presented themselves had the changes not occurred.
Here are some action steps you could take to help make change an easier transition.
Forcibly make more changes in your life to get used to dealing with change. This could be something as simple as signing up for a gym membership and actually using it.
Handle anything you are required to do because of changes that have taken place. As an example, if you have been let go by your company, make sure you create a budget that can help you survive the possibility of extended unemployment.
Think back to recent changes that you have had to deal with. List several items (if possible) where you would have handled those situations differently than you did.
Blessings & Love,
Jen
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