I am not a big change girly. I love knowing when things will happen, how they will happen, and knowing that they will stay that way. The catch is: this will never be the case. Ever. In a constant world of things evolving, people transforming and situations changing, change is inevitable. The unknown is the normal. While I’m not a person who prefers big changes constantly, I’ve learned to embrace it and cope with it. Here is how I’ve done it:
- Finding the beneficial factors in the change
While some changes can be hard because they hurt, there are pieces of the change that feel nice and will be for the better. For example, moving cities can be very scary and an experience that some people find hard. However, moving to a new city can mean new opportunities for a career, new opportunities for friendships, and fresh starts.
- Find your places of stability
During change, the areas of stability can be hard to see. Despite this, there are places of stability that can help ground you. One example I have of this is my communication with my close friends and family. Moving away to college was a whole new experience in and of itself. However, my stability comes from my family and friends and their support. No matter where I end up in my life, one thing I know for sure is that my family’s support will remain unchanged. Whatever that constant may look like for you, take a moment to sit and find it.
- Be okay with not being totally in control
I’m gonna be completely transparent…I’m still figuring out how to do this one. I love being in control of what goes on in my life. Not completely as a control freak, but as much as I can, I make sure I can control how my life looks. The catch is, this can never fully be the case. Sure, I can control what jobs I apply to, or what friendships I engage in. I can’t, however, control if I get denied a job or if these friendships don’t work out. One of the greatest things I can do for myself is do what I can, and believe that whatever is meant for me will come in due time.
- You can feel many things at once
This is also one of the lessons that I have taken a while to learn myself. I truly believed that if I felt one motion, that I couldn’t feel a conflicting emotion at the same time. I’ll use moving to college as an example. I didn’t really think that I could be both anxious and excited at the same time. Both nervous and ready for a new experience. I thought, ‘they’re completely opposite emotions…how could I possibly feel both of them at the same time, and the exact same amount?’ The reality is, it’s totally normal to feel this way. I did! It doesn’t mean it’s wrong or abnormal…in fact, it’s completely normal. Life experiences are supposed to make you feel lots of different emotions. Change can be hard but very liberating. Take these emotions as a good sign of growth and be content in the fact that this is where you’re supposed to be.
