How to Handle Changes in Your Life
Recognize that changes will always happen., Expect internal resistance to change., Analyze the situation., Determine what you can and cannot control., Be patient, not passive.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Recognize that changes will always happen.
Changes occur in our lives at regular intervals, whether we are aware of them or not.
A shop that has been in the area for years may close down, or an old building may be demolished to make way for a new roadway.
More directly, you may experience a serious illness, a divorce, or the birth of a child.
Life is not static, nor are we meant to be; change is part of our very nature, welcome or not.You’ve probably caught yourself at some point, while watching the sun set over the ocean, seeing your kids giddily open Christmas presents, or experiencing some other joyful setting, thinking “I wish it could be like this forever.” And yet, without changes, those situations could never have occurred.
Change is inevitable and essential. -
Step 2: Expect internal resistance to change.
Along with accepting that change will and must happen, you also need to accept that you will instinctively be (at least initially) resistant to most changes.
This instinct has no bearing on the likelihood of a change being good or bad; it is simply a typical human response to something different.Some changes will be a challenge.
You may change your job, or be forced to move far away.
These are challenges to which you can either rise or fall.
If you follow up your initial hesitancy with fear, you may become a nervous wreck.
However, if you can move past your resistance and embrace change as a new adventure, you may end up happier and better off in the end. , While you can’t emotionally detach yourself from the experience of life changes, you can try to take a step back and look at things from a distance.
Grab a pen and paper if it helps and jot down exactly what has changed and how it has impacted you.(Actually, journaling is a great way to work through your feelings whether you are experiencing life changes or not.) Once you’ve determined precisely what you’re dealing with, you can develop coping strategies that are best suited to deal with the circumstances.
Say, for instance, that your next door neighbors move away, and new people move in.
If your relationship with the old neighbors was cordial, you may view the newcomers with trepidation, or even distrust.
Viewed rationally, however, it is entirely possible that you’ll get along even better with the new neighbors; as Jim Reeves once sang, “A stranger is just a friend you do not know."
Many life changes will be completely beyond your control — from the death of a loved one to corporate downsizing and so on.
Even when you do have some amount of control — like trying to choose which house to buy in a new town — you still are not in command of the overall life change occurring.
However, you always have the ability to control how you respond to the change.The key to accepting change is to have an open mind and to accept everything as it presents itself.
The change will occur, like it or not; you cannot control it.
In the face of this change, however, you have the ability to shape your response in a positive manner. , All this talk of accepting change might make you think that you are supposed to just lie down and let life happen to you.
Keep in mind, however, that there is a difference between patience and passivity.
You can patiently accept change while at the same time actively pursuing strategies to reorient yourself (emotionally and otherwise) to the new circumstances.Changes will happen.
You will be (at least initially) resistant to these changes.
You cannot control either the changes or your initial hesitancy.
You can control your larger response to the changes.
To do so requires your active participation.
Realize that some changes are going to be very unexpected.
Accept it as a new chapter in your life; as a fresh opportunity to gain knowledge or experience in some new area, or a chance to discover new people, new places and new skills. -
Step 3: Analyze the situation.
-
Step 4: Determine what you can and cannot control.
-
Step 5: Be patient
-
Step 6: not passive.
Detailed Guide
Changes occur in our lives at regular intervals, whether we are aware of them or not.
A shop that has been in the area for years may close down, or an old building may be demolished to make way for a new roadway.
More directly, you may experience a serious illness, a divorce, or the birth of a child.
Life is not static, nor are we meant to be; change is part of our very nature, welcome or not.You’ve probably caught yourself at some point, while watching the sun set over the ocean, seeing your kids giddily open Christmas presents, or experiencing some other joyful setting, thinking “I wish it could be like this forever.” And yet, without changes, those situations could never have occurred.
Change is inevitable and essential.
Along with accepting that change will and must happen, you also need to accept that you will instinctively be (at least initially) resistant to most changes.
This instinct has no bearing on the likelihood of a change being good or bad; it is simply a typical human response to something different.Some changes will be a challenge.
You may change your job, or be forced to move far away.
These are challenges to which you can either rise or fall.
If you follow up your initial hesitancy with fear, you may become a nervous wreck.
However, if you can move past your resistance and embrace change as a new adventure, you may end up happier and better off in the end. , While you can’t emotionally detach yourself from the experience of life changes, you can try to take a step back and look at things from a distance.
Grab a pen and paper if it helps and jot down exactly what has changed and how it has impacted you.(Actually, journaling is a great way to work through your feelings whether you are experiencing life changes or not.) Once you’ve determined precisely what you’re dealing with, you can develop coping strategies that are best suited to deal with the circumstances.
Say, for instance, that your next door neighbors move away, and new people move in.
If your relationship with the old neighbors was cordial, you may view the newcomers with trepidation, or even distrust.
Viewed rationally, however, it is entirely possible that you’ll get along even better with the new neighbors; as Jim Reeves once sang, “A stranger is just a friend you do not know."
Many life changes will be completely beyond your control — from the death of a loved one to corporate downsizing and so on.
Even when you do have some amount of control — like trying to choose which house to buy in a new town — you still are not in command of the overall life change occurring.
However, you always have the ability to control how you respond to the change.The key to accepting change is to have an open mind and to accept everything as it presents itself.
The change will occur, like it or not; you cannot control it.
In the face of this change, however, you have the ability to shape your response in a positive manner. , All this talk of accepting change might make you think that you are supposed to just lie down and let life happen to you.
Keep in mind, however, that there is a difference between patience and passivity.
You can patiently accept change while at the same time actively pursuing strategies to reorient yourself (emotionally and otherwise) to the new circumstances.Changes will happen.
You will be (at least initially) resistant to these changes.
You cannot control either the changes or your initial hesitancy.
You can control your larger response to the changes.
To do so requires your active participation.
Realize that some changes are going to be very unexpected.
Accept it as a new chapter in your life; as a fresh opportunity to gain knowledge or experience in some new area, or a chance to discover new people, new places and new skills.
About the Author
Megan Lane
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: