Hair shortened. New routes home. Using material bags over plastic ones because of the rising concern for sustainability. Congratulations, you have just made a change. You have just placed one foot in front of the other and gradually started to escape your comfort zone. The ground beneath you might be trembling and unstable, hindering your usual solidity. Don’t worry. Change is an inevitable and crucial part of life. Facing change rather than futile attempts to escape it is key.
Despite the fact that changes seem to be an essential component of personal growth, people usually tend to fear them. The source of this anxiety arises from the unknown outcomes that are strictly linked to any type of adjustment, bigger or smaller.
Still, nothing can be developed by standing in one place and, although people in theory agree that the general concept of ‘change’ is a positive one, in practice it can turn out to be extremely difficult to embrace the best of new opportunities.
One thing must be really emphasized: it is impossible to get used to change as it is by definition something unstable, and thus impossible to be fully attached to or comfortable around. However, our approach to change is within our control and it is this that helps to make change the positive experience that it should be.
To get along with change on a friendly basis we should start seeing change not as an enemy of our daily routine but as a part of it. Constant development should be our real focus.
From this attitude comes a tiny shift in minset that lying all day in your pyjamas watching Netflix is not really your main goal but putting yourself out there, in the slightly terrifying world of constant change, is what you should really seek. This approach might not entirely make the concept of change less scary but may help us to see it in a slightly more pleasant way.
As weird as it may sound, not everything has to be changed immediately and it is more than natural to give yourself time to adjust. You need to understand that there is nothing wrong with feeling a bit insecure when something new appears on the horizon. Take your time and don’t be afraid to speak up and say you might be slightly uncomfortable because something is changing in your life. Everybody has experienced a change at least once in their lifetime and their support can really help with adjusting to a new situation.
Finally, it must be emphasized how different types of change can be on two totally different ends of the scale. On one end there are simple adjustments in everyday life: starting with changing the colours of the walls in your room or drinking one less cup of coffee per day (though this one might feel really massive at first).
On the other end, we can find life-changing decisions such as applying for a new job or starting university and moving away from anything familiar. Regardless of the scale of the change, a change in mind-set and a small-step approach seems to be the best solution to make adjustments less stressful and more approachable.
Even with massive life changes, where the small-steps method feels impossible to apply, it still works. Considering that, just give yourself time to adjust and treat this change as an amazing opportunity and not as a nightmare. Funnily enough, the scale of the change in everyone’s lives doesn’t seem to play such an important role. The fear and anxiety always remain the same. From this worry however can come the most positive experiences. Embrace change, whatever the scale.
Image: Of Shadows and Light via Flickr