Hello Spring: How To Deal With Change

Even though a little change is always a good thing, adjusting to it is not necessarily the most fun.  It’s easy to say to ourselves, “what do you mean, I love change, the only constant in life is change", however when it comes down to it, we all know some changes are a lot easier to love than others. 

Maybe you recently got a promotion at work, or you’re currently redecorating your home, these are typically pretty exciting changes.  But, sometimes, we all also have to go through those changes that have been inflicted on us and aren’t exactly what we would describe as enjoyable.  It’s important to remember that both types of change, good and bad, can bring stress to your life, but you can also take little steps to cope, and combat this stress before it sets in. 

Even changes for the better bring extra stress to our lives.  Adapting to something new asks a lot of us as a person.  Even though we may not think so, we are all creatures of habit, at least to some extent.  Here are a couple pointers on little things you can do when life takes a little bit of a twist.

Address the problem more than your feelings

This doesn’t mean not to talk about your feelings.  Addressing your feelings is totally okay, however, by only talking about your feelings rather than focusing on the problem itself, it’s easier to get stuck simply dwelling on the negativity rather than thinking about potential solutions to the actual problem at hand. 

By only talking about our feelings of fear, anger, or anxiety towards a situation, then we cause a sort of loop that keeps us stuck in those feelings. Whereas if we talk about the problem itself, we are able to actually seek out potential advice and solutions to actually solve it.  We can’t necessarily change our feelings, and we shouldn’t have to, instead though we can change how we chose to solve a problem.

Stop stressing about being stressed

We put so much pressure on ourselves to not feel stressed, that we actually stress ourselves out even more.  Stress isn’t a bad thing.  It’s how we approach it that really matters.  A little bit of stress can actually be a good thing. 

Think about why you’re stressed, this comes back to addressing the actual problem at hand rather than just the feeling.  Your stress is really just there to help you properly prepare for whatever the problem at hand is.  So, harness it, use it to your advantage.

Look at each change as an opportunity

Every change, good or bad, leaves room for growth.  It is usually a lot easier to see opportunity from positive changes, however it is a result of negative changes as well.  Change forces you to adapt, and by changing your path, you leave room to learn things about yourself and certain situations that you may have never learned should things have just remained the same. 

By approaching all types of change with this outlook, you can help yourself accept it, and the good it is going to bring you, even if it’s not in the most conventional way. 

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Remember, you control your attitude.  Don’t let change get you down.  We know, this is one of those things that is easier said than done, but it’s also nice to remember.  No matter how good or bad something may seem, the attitude you approach it with makes all the difference. 

And, as we all know, change really is the only constant in life, so don’t get yourself crazy over every little thing.  It’s all part of life, and sometimes you just need to remind yourself that everything’s OK. 

While you’re obviously not going to approach each new change in your life with a huge smile on your face, it is important to remind yourself that you can handle anything thrown your way.  These pointers unfortunately can’t prevent you from ever being stressed again, but they can help you deal with the stress of change in a more productive and inspiring fashion.