Something switched in my brain recently in relation to CHANGE. That 6 letter word that brings on feelings on panic and anxiety for some but for most it’s simply uncomfortable.
I am definitely no exception to that rule and admit that change makes me anxious and uncertain. It shakes up something inside of me and makes me question everything to its core. Up until this point I have absolutely hated change.
Whether it be moving house, switching career paths, falling out with a friend or breaking up with a boyfriend. Changes within these big elements of your life have a huge impact and it always shakes up something in me that leads to a domino effect. If my lease is up and I can’t renew it - I might freak out and let it affect my performance at work or take it out on my relationship. I haven’t spoken about this before because it is just now that I am standing back and looking at it from afar due to a mind altering realisation.
It was when I read a quote within a wall mural pasted on the side of a shopping center I drive past frequently (Chermside Shopping Centre if you’re wondering). “The only constant in life is change”.
Sometimes we can feel as though we are running through life, getting through the bad times, maybe taking the good times for granted, all in hopes of finding stability and certainty. I think that the most liberating feeling ever is realising that things will NEVER be perfect. I can say that as certainly as I can because as humans not one of us is perfect and circumstances will always have room left for improvement.
It is so incredibly therapeutic to realise this. I drive passed this mural often and maybe I’ve read it before but it hasn’t really sunk in until a couple of weeks ago when it hit me all at once. I would go as far as to call it an epiphany! Change is something we need to learn to live with because it is the inevitable reality. It is life. Not only that but it is also the only way that we move forward and progress with our life path.
I’m only 20 and I have SO much to learn and I find myself edging closer towards clarity every day. This realisation and shift in my thinking towards change is only one more piece of the puzzle that I have put together. I wanted to share my experience with this because writing for me is so cathartic and I also think that this message could be useful for someone else out there.
This post may sound so silly and maybe it is but I wanted to open up about this personal realisation that has completely changed my thinking on the concept of change. Something that I used to fear and would often negatively impact me – I can now use to help me and work FOR me rather than against me. Change is inevitable and I / we need to harness its power to HELP us achieve our goals. Thinking about changes in a positive light is a key to succeeding through resilience.
Your boyfriend cheated on you and left you for someone else? You just became a stronger person emotionally and improved your resilience. He obviously was not the one for you and now you have a shot at true love with someone else.
You realised that University isn’t for you and find yourself not knowing what to do with your life? Go travel! It is the perfect time to get out and go adventure. This is the start of something big.
While these are big examples that will obviously shake your world, apply this way of thinking to the smaller stuff too. The saying ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ rings true!
If your role within the company has been changed unexpectedly – instead of dwelling on it and trying to understand the logic behind it just LET IT BE.
So you got into a crash and have you pay repairs of $200? What does it really matter?
As long as you are happy and healthy then you are lucky! If you start looking at these changes as positives and opportunities for you then you will find yourself happy and less anxious about change.
Money comes and goes, jobs come and go, boyfriends come and go…because the only constant is life is change.
Thanks for reading
