5 Mindset Shifts to Help Cope with Change
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Do you struggle with change? If so, you are NOT alone. All of the big and small life changes that I have gone through were always accompanied by fear, anxiety, and frustration. Coping with change hasn't ever been a strength of mine. Change has been a struggle for me because I fear changing my current situation. Once I'm comfortable, I want to stay put. Eventually, I kind of got tired of staying the same. So I decided to learn how to cope with the changes that were happening in my life.
Change is inevitable. Change is normal. Change is necessary. This is why learning how to embrace change in your life is essential to individual growth and becoming a better person than you were yesterday.
Today I'm sharing a few mindset shifts that have helped me so much when dealing and coping with change. If you're wanting to learn how to positively embrace change then keep on reading because once you learn how to accept and embrace it, change will benefit you in more ways than you could imagine.
5 Mindsets to Help Cope With Change
#1 Realize that even good change can cause stress.
Sometimes change can be exciting, easy, and enjoyable. Other times, not so much. Change can also be scary, stressful, and anxiety-inducing. However, it's important to remember that even the scary and challenging changes in your life, can also be the best things that happen to you. These changes can help you grow, come out of your comfort zone, make you stronger, and teach you how to become more flexible and adaptable to new situations.
This honestly hit me straight in the face one morning when I was reading my daily affirmation for the day. The affirmation was: Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good. (I post most of my affirmations on my Instagram stories.) This was such a powerful affirmation for me to read because I was going through a lot of changes in my life and at that exact moment, it was exactly what I needed to hear. This has helped me cope with change so much.
#2 Focus on the positives that can come from change.
Changing perspective has helped me so much when dealing with change. Thinking to myself, this situation might be challenging and scary but what good things come from this change?
Consider all of the amazing benefits that can come from certain changes in your life. Benefits like new opportunities, progress, strength, getting to experience more, and your personal or professional growth. You just have to push through the scary part to get to the enjoyable part.
A great example and one I have been recently going through was a new job. New jobs can be exciting, but can also nerve-racking (at least for me they are!) To help get over the nerves I would remind myself of the good things that came from my new job.
#3 Focus on what you can control.
I've always focused on the scary parts of change and all of the things that I had no control over, which is what made these adjustments scarier or more dreadful. This is such an unhealthy cycle of thoughts that can just bring on loads of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Then, I came across this question: Why worry about the things that you can't control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?
Every time I start to have a negative approach or thought towards a change in my life, I remind myself of this question. Sometimes that simple reminder can help bring me back and out of my head.
#4 Be Present.
I have always lived in the future. Even still to this day, I can let the future and the unlimited amount of possible outcomes affect me in the present moment. I've caused myself so much stress and anxiety that I've turned good days into bad. Then recently, I thought to myself, why am I making this entire day all about tomorrow? I've really tried to focus on being present and enjoying my day, being grateful for the day, and making the best of it rather than ruining it with stress and anxiety about the past or the future.
That event or day you're are nervous about is going to happen whether you start stressing now or later... so choose later!!
#5 Give yourself a break.
Change can be exhausting on an emotional – and often physical – level. So instead of battling through it, take time to recharge your batteries. This doesn't have to involve a complete break but could be something as simple as taking a walk in the fresh air to clear your head (fresh air is honestly such a wonderfully brain cleanser.)
Check out: 6 Ways to Start Practicing Self-Care
Something that I actually thought was pure gold was a quote from one of my favorite tv shows, Grey's Anatomy. The quote was "rest isn't a dirty word. Rest isn't laziness no matter what you've been told or how many times you've been told it. Rest is love. Rest is peace."
Those are the mindset shifts that have seriously helped me start to cope with change. I personally know how difficult and scary change can be, but I knew I needed to approach things differently. I hope you find this post helpful and I'm already seeing amazing changes heading your way!! Let's start to consider change as an opportunity rather than something we fear.
