Things are Changing-How to Cope with Change

Life is constantly filled with ups, downs, and even plateaus. But, it is always changing! Some people are excited by this idea, but many others, including myself, can dread this. If you’re scared of change, you’re not alone! It is an extremely valid and even paralyzing fear. But it is not always so bad when you rationalize through it. Life’s full of changes, so it’s time we start facing it head on, little by little! Here are some things to think about me that really help when I stress about change.

The one aspect that matters most to me, is my loved ones, and I think many people agree with this. Change can cause people to weave in and out of your lives. If you’re hesitant to leave anyone behind, remember that those who care will stick around. It will take effort from both sides, but staying in touch is always possible if the intention is there. Remember that if they are true loved ones, they will stick by and support you in your aspirations.

Change does not always happen for the worst. Although it can be scary no matter what, remember that change can be really beautiful and open up new doors for you. Something that helps me is listing off all the positive things that come with the change. This way, I feel a lot better about the outcome of this change. It also helps to remind myself what I am grateful for, even down to the bare necessities that I am fortunate to have. It really helps me put things in perspective and start catastrophizing less when I see all the things I am grateful to have.

Change can be daunting and dreaded, but there are always things to look forward to in life. For me, it is being creative by reading and writing. That is my passion and something that I know will not change. It is something that is constant and will bring me happiness. In times of change, sometimes looking at things that are fixed helps, especially things you are passionate about or just genuinely love. This can literally be as simple as a show you like, or music you like to listen to, but anything simple like that can go a long way.

To really be able to accept change, you have to reflect on the past. To be open to the future, you have to accept everything that came before. Try journaling how you feel in times of distress or just to look back and reflect. Sometimes looking back on these journal entries reminds me not to romanticize something in the past that wasn’t actually all that great. Nostalgia can happen often and make you think that the past was truly better. By journaling exactly how you felt in that moment, you can remind yourself not to get clouded by nostalgia.

This comes hand in hand with reflecting on the past. After letting yourself feel everything you need, that is when you must accept the change. Everything that occurred so far has led you to where you are now, hence why you must look back on it and be able to acknowledge it to truly move on. There may be a lot of emotions you need to feel for things that happened in the past that must be felt, in order to look forward.

Looking ahead is the last step in accepting change. Now that everything is finally behind you, it is time to look ahead and make goals for the future. Now even this can be stressful, so my best tip for this is to go little by little. Long term goals are great to have and look forward to in your head. However, this can be daunting for some people as they feel totally lost on how to get there. My best advice is to have an idea of where you want to be in the far future, but as for task-related goals, do those day by day so that it feels more palatable. Make a list of smaller objectives for each day that will act as stepping stones to your bigger goal.

Although change is a topic many struggle with, it can be manageable when one is able to think clearly, reflect on their past, and look ahead to what they need to do. Whenever things seem too overwhelming, remember to just breathe and create an action plan to prevent yourself from spiraling down a rabbit hole.