I’m a creature of habit, so I’m not really a fan of change. Once I get use to something I’m perfectly happy with keeping it as is. But I’ve gotten better at being more receptive to change, simply by changing my mindset and mentally coaching myself to accept change as it comes. Sometimes we don’t have a say in the matter and in the grand scheme of things, we all know that things can’t always remain the same. Change really is inevitable and it can be a great thing. It occurs in all areas of our lives and each change has its own unique benefits. For example, change at work allows us to enhance our skills, and it can lead to exciting opportunities in, or outside our current work environment. Changes in our lives further reminds us that the world is not black and white, it’s multi-dimensional and multi-facet, so sticking with the same thing or routine over and over can cause us to get stuck and left behind.
But why are some of us so resistant to change? My guess is we get comfortable in our routine. That has certainly been the case for me. I found comfort in knowing what to expect with each routine that occurred in my life and the thought of change disrupted that comfort level for me, so I resisted. What shifted and changed my mindset was the lack of control in the matter. When changes occurred in situations where I had no control (e.g. work) I had to go with it, even if I really didn’t like it. But not being open to change meant that I was inflicting some form of anxiety on myself, that was stemmed from my own frustration and resistance to the idea of change, when I wouldn’t allow myself to open up to something new and unfamiliar.
Accepting change plays a major role in emotional self-care. I’ve mentioned emotional self-care several times in the past. It’s essentially behaviors or actions that cater to our emotional well-being. Examples are affirmations, therapy, or journaling. I mentioned previously that not being receptive to change has inflicted a form of anxiety that was likely stemmed from my own frustration because I didn’t like the idea of things changing. When we have that block (or resistance to change) it interferes with our emotional well-being to some extent. This is where the frustration and anxiety that I mentioned previously comes into play. While most of us find comfort in keeping things the same, not being open to the idea of things changing creates a barrier to our own personal growth. As difficult as it may be for some of us, there are several good reasons why we need to accept change.
Change is Inevitable whether we like it or not, change will occur and sometimes we can’t control it. For example, as mentioned previously, changes occur in society, in our community, at work, and our personal lives. Furthermore, the world was not created to remain stagnant, it must evolve in order to be greater and better. History is a perfect example of this. A lot of changes made throughout history was for the greater good of our society and the people who reside in it. Additionally, refusal of anything that is inevitable can cause emotional turmoil because we are fighting to sustain something that we can’t control.
Change Helps Us Grow in our personal lives. Some examples of this is; people move on, people change, and we change. Change is for our own benefit, even if the benefits aren’t apparent to us right away. Change happens in our lives because just like the world we live in, we were not created to remain the same. In fact, inevitable changes occur within us and around us everyday, we all age, we gain wisdom as we get older, we lose loved ones, kids grow up on and move on, etc.
Our World Isn’t Black and White. It’s Multi-Facet, Multi-Dimensional, and Ever Changing even if we don’t want to change, the world around us will change. Even if we don’t want to change, people around us will change and as a human race, we create things that change the world we live in (e.g. technology and medical advances). We experience changes in nature, through the weather, the seasons, and other living creatures. And just like us, all of those things experience inevitable life changes.
The metamorphosis of life and to us as humans is imminent so we must be open and receptive. The inability to be receptive, that’s based solely on our personal comfort level, holds us back. Ease into this discomfort of being uncomfortable because it’s process that we must endure, as we navigate through our own lives and as citizen of the community we reside in. Your willingness to play a part in the concept of change, shifts you into a space of being open and receptive in other areas of your life. Imagine what you may potentially miss out on if you restrict yourself to a lifestyle that’s rooted in comfort. It’s important to take that risk. Allow yourself to be flexible and malleable. Sometimes taking that leap is the spark that others might need in order to create space for new opportunities in their own lives. This is all to say that we don’t know who we may encourage to change if we are not accepting of change ourselves.
I’m encouraging us all to be mindful of not just our lives but the lives of others around us that we have a great impact on. Accepting change can unknowingly act as a ripple effect to create positive changes and influences for everyone. Be open to that possibility, step out on fear, be welcoming to change, and allow yourself to evolve and grow organically. When life shifts, shift with it. That’s what we are meant to do. What is your relationship like with accepting change? Have you been resistant? Or do you welcome change freely? Let’s Chat!
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