- Dr. Amber Cohen
Embracing Change
Change is an inevitable part of life. From changes in seasons to new relationships, change is the only constant in life. While this can feel scary, change also has many benefits. This month, we will explore the benefits of change and ways to embrace it. While scary, change can have many benefits. This can include the following:
Personal growth. It is important to remember that change allows us to grow. It pushes us outside of our comfort zone, allowing us to expand our knowledge, abilities and experiences.
Resilience. Change leads us to call upon our resilience and adapt. Things won’t always work out the way we planned, and change provides us with the opportunity to learn how to adjust and continue moving forward. It hones our problem solving and decision making skills allowing us to
New opportunities. Change opens our eyes to new possibilities, including new relationships, jobs, friendships and other experiences. When we remain open to change, we can be presented with options that we may have never considered, but that can benefit us immensely. Research shows that “luck” often comes from an openness to new opportunities - when we say yes, we increase our chances of inviting positive experiences into our lives.
Increased self-esteem. As we change, we grow. This increases our self-esteem as we watch ourselves overcome challenges we never would have imagined. We often wait to feel confident to try new things; however, trying new things helps us build confidence.
Try new things. Without change, we would remain stagnant. If you didn’t try something new, you would have never discovered your favourite ice cream flavour, TV show, work experience or even your best friend! Change is a journey we are all on.
If you struggle with change, here are 3 things you can do right now to help yourself through this tough time.
Acknowledge change and how difficult it can be. It’s a part of life, whether we like it or not. But ignoring or avoiding change will not make it go away. Instead, notice that change is there, accept it and honour the emotions it triggers. We might not have control over the change, but we can control the way we emotionally and mentally respond to it. Try acknowledging your feelings - for example, “I feel scared and that’s okay. I am going to sit with my fear and continue moving forward.”
Talk it out. Change is often scary. Rather than keeping these feelings inside, acknowledge if you need support. This can look like reaching out to your support system and asking them for help during a time of transition. If you aren’t ready to talk it out just yet, you can also try journaling instead. A therapist who is impartial and unbiased can also be a source of support.
Trust the process and sit with uncertainty. Accepting change requires us to let go of the past, not ruminate on the future, and embrace the present. Trust the process of change, even if it feels scary. Trust your ability to adapt and remember that more solid ground will come. We often avoid experiences because of the uncertainty they involve, but uncertainty is a fact of life. Try accepting versus avoiding uncertainty - you never know what might happen and that can be positive!
While change can feel overwhelming, it is also an opportunity for us to grow, become more resilient, experience new opportunities, and increase self-esteem. Remember that during these periods of uncertainty, it is important to acknowledge the change, talk it out and trust the process. Change is difficult and beneficial all rolled into one!