While change can be difficult for many people to deal with we want to share with you that it really doesn’t have to be so hard. In fact, it can be pretty exciting when to learn to embrace life and all the chaos that comes with it when changes occur.
Since we made the decision to transition our Coaching business to an all “online” platform and shut down our brick and mortar services to move from California up to Washington, we knew that we’d be going through some pretty incredible life changes.
We spent a great deal of time putting together an “action plan” and have been continuously reminded that life definitely doesn’t always go as planned. There have been times where we’ve been frustrated, but at the end of each and every day we’ve grown together so much more and and have learned some invaluable lessons.
So we’ve put together our top tips and how we’ve dealt with and embraced change not only in the past year since we decided to move from California, but in our marriage and life experiences over the past 17 years together.
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.
Never 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. 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 or some long-term illness. It could be 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. And while it is great to meet in person with the internet you can now find wonderful online support so don’t be afraid to reach out but be sure to vet the source.
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. Remember just because one door closed doesn’t mean that another one may not open for you!
ACTIONABLE STEPS
Here are actionable steps for you to move forward and get more comfortable making changes so you can eliminate some of the unnecessary stress that doesn’t need to be added to your life.
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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.
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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.
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To your health and wellness,
Great advise! I also like to think “what’s the worse that COULD happen?” This helps me prepare physically & emotionally. Almost always, it’s nothing near my worse case scenario.
Example, when we had to shut down our company, there was a high probability that we’d have to move to UT & live with my dad. Was that something that I would choose. No! But I knew that we would be ok. Reality was we not that drastic, but we did have to make some really tough decisions.
Thank you Tami, we’ve always been fans of plan b and sometimes c as necessary. When you have actionable steps that you can take it helps to reduce stress levels that don’t need to build up in the first place.