Steve Maraboli said: “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.”
Yet many of us are unable to move on as we are unable to accept change. To be successful we must be able to embrace change. So the question is how do we do this?
Here are some strategies how you can deal with change:
1. Map out the possibilities
Sometimes the coming change is too complex to understand. It helps to write things down or draw them. The jumble of thoughts becomes clear on a sheet of paper. You will be surprised by the clarity this brings.
2. Determine worst-case scenarios
Once you have the possibilities written down, identify which are the ones that bother you the most. Knowing what you are specifically worried about helps a lot!
3. Create a backup plan
Can you create a back-up plan for the worst case scenarios? If you have some money socked away, for example, then you know that if a job change does not work out you have a fall back while you look for another. Once you know you have a backup plan your anxiety level should come down.
4. Mark out a time in the day to think
Resist the urge to think about the impending change all the time. Give yourself no more than an hour during the day when you spend time thinking about the coming change. So if during the day thoughts about the change come in, you can say to yourself, “Now is not the time. I will think about this today evening.” You have to then consciously push the thought aside and focus on something else.
5. Treat the change as a temporary one
One strategy to wear out resistance to change is to think about it as a temporary change with an option to revert back. If you dislike the notion of moving to a new city, for example, then tell yourself that if you do not like it you can always move back. You do this with the rider that you will give yourself enough time to adjust to the new environment and only then you will revert back. Chances are that after a year in a new city you may grow to love it and the resistance to change will melt away on its own!
6. Discuss options with somebody
Sometimes we get trapped in our own fears. It helps to bounce our thoughts off somebody and get a neutral perspective. If the impending change threatens to overwhelm you, then take it up with your friend or family member and discuss it out loud. You may be able to break out of the circle of thoughts you may have got yourself into.
7. Do yoga
This can help in two ways. One is that it will help calm down the mind-body system and allow emotions to subside. This may help clear your head and allow you to think clearly. The other way yoga helps is that it helps reduce the ego. This reduces attachment and resistance to change and opens the mind-body to new possibilities.
Once you feel that you have mastery over the change process you will find the entire world open up before you, as this quote from C. JoyBell illustrates:
“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.”
You may also like: Six Surprising Facts About Your Ego
Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.
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