I jumped headfirst into 2019; finishing up a ongoing interview process, moving out of my first apartment in the city and into a brand new apartment in a new and mostly unfamiliar neighborhood, and its only been a month. All this change has left me feeling a bit like I lost control of my ship for a while. Even though all this change is SOOO good, its still SOOO scary.
Change can be super overwhelming when its something you struggle with and not knowing whats next is even scarier. If you clicked through to this post, you’re probably facing a change, whether thats preparing to graduate college, move to a new city, start a new job or even just start a new semester. Whatever change is about to happen for you, it’s scary to accept that things are going to be different than they are now. Even if theres a chance that it can be better, the fear of the unknown can really hold us back if were not careful.
Did you know that our brains actually prefer predictable negative consequences over uncertain outcomes? Our minds crave certainty; we would rather plan out all the million and one things that could happen in an effort to feel prepared, than be faced with a situation of uncertainty.
Unfortunately, this is life and we’re living in a world that is constantly changing and evolving. As comfortable as it is, we have to step outside of our comfort zones because change is inevitable.
I’m sharing some of my favorite tips that help me face change with courage and embrace the unknown.
CHANGE MAKES YOU STRONGER.
It’s important that we do things before we feel like we’re actually ready, because thats how we grow. life is meant to lived outside of our comfort zone and when it feels scary to jump thats exactly when we’re supposed to. Otherwise, we end up staying in the same place our entire life and to me, that even worse than anything that could happen when you jump.
EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY.
When you’re going through an uncomfortable situation or facing change, remind yourself that everything is temporary; this moment, these feelings, these people, this situation, whatever it may be. These things that feel so uncertain and scary, wont always feel that way and with time, comes comfort.
WORRYING ONLY MAKES THINGS WORSE.
Its crucial to recognize the difference between planning and excess worrying. A certain amount of planning is totally normal, however when you obsess over all the situations that could go wrong and start planning the million and one ways to fix those problems that haven’t even happened yet, is only stressing you out even more. So take a deep breath ( or three) and remind yourself that whatever happens is gonna happen, you have no control over that, but you’ve handled a heck of a lot this far thats prepared you and made you capable to handle far more than you know!
ASK YOUR SITUATION, WHAT ARE YOU HERE TO TEACH ME?
You’ll never stop growing if you treat everything in life like it has something to teach you. Instead of asking yourself why is this happening TO ME, ask yourself what can this do FOR ME. train your mind to vie hardships and change as unique challenges that have been specifically placed on your path to teach you something you NEED to know and could not have learned any other way. This will prepare you for when the unexpected comes knocking, and prevent you from getting in your own way.
CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Life is not supposed to be easy and comfortable. Haven’t you heard the saying, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”? If you try and change your perspective to remind yourself it could always be worse and ask yourself what can you learn from this, it can help make uncomfortable situations a little more comfortable.
Instead of seeing change as something intimidating, work on changing our perspective to see it as an exciting opportunity to grow into the person you were meant to be and experience new people and new opportunities . Think of what you could be missing out on!
