Embracing Change
Urban Eco Oct 4, 2015
by Janette Ward
Hello Urbanities,
I hope that you are well, this month I would like to explore change, why it is difficult, some of the benefits and suggestions to make it easier to embrace. Being able to embrace change is more important now than ever, as life feels like it is speeding up and changes are coming thick and fast particularly with the advancement of technology.
Change can feel difficult because it’s the unknown, which can be one of our greatest fears, we often resist those things for which we cannot easily discern the outcome. When predictability disappears, so can our sense of safety, taking us out of our comfort zone.
The benefits for embracing change are immense, they support personal growth, where we grow, learn new things and are then able to see things from a different perspective. Frequent changes mean we can more easily adapt to new situations, environments and people, increasing flexibility thereby enabling us to cope better with sudden, unexpected changes. Things in your life can improve i.e. job, house, relationship, finances etc and this can’t happen without change. When you turn from your usual path, there will be plenty of different opportunities waiting for you – new choices for happiness and fulfilment. Embracing change often results in us being stronger and more confident.
One of the most profound changes in my life came about following an experience of depression. Prior to the depression I was unhappy with many aspects of my life, when I started to feel well again, I re-assessed everything and started to make changes. Like author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle writes, ‘Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.’
Now when I experience change, I repeat the affirmation ‘Whatever happens I can handle it’ and I know I can.
Embracing change can be easier when you recognize you are in a change and not denying it but facing it head on. Remember it is normal to have a reaction and feel all kinds of emotions and one of them might be grief because sometimes no matter how good a change can be, there can still be a loss.
It can be really helpful talking to someone you trust about how you are feeling, it is important to be able to ask for support and express what you need.
It can be particularly helpful to remember what is still familiar in your life, what isn’t changing and stick to usual routines to reassure yourself that not everything is changing.
When we feel a bit overwhelmed by change it is easy to forget the resources we have that can help us through this process, for example, time, skills, good health, other people and finances etc.
One of the things that can really help is remembering times in the past when you successfully came through a change and the positives that brought into your life.
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, especially if there are lots of changes happening at once, it can be helpful to break them down into small manageable chunks and focus on one at a time, this can help reduce anxiety.
What can be reassuring is that all change comes to an end and when the new circumstances are in place, all will become familiar again, back to a feeling of normality.
Finally the inspiring American Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr says,
‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.’
If you are interested in attending a change workshop please contact at [email protected] or www.circleswork.co.uk
Urban Eco Oct 4, 2015
by Janette Ward
Hello Urbanities,
I hope that you are well, this month I would like to explore change, why it is difficult, some of the benefits and suggestions to make it easier to embrace. Being able to embrace change is more important now than ever, as life feels like it is speeding up and changes are coming thick and fast particularly with the advancement of technology.
Change can feel difficult because it’s the unknown, which can be one of our greatest fears, we often resist those things for which we cannot easily discern the outcome. When predictability disappears, so can our sense of safety, taking us out of our comfort zone.
The benefits for embracing change are immense, they support personal growth, where we grow, learn new things and are then able to see things from a different perspective. Frequent changes mean we can more easily adapt to new situations, environments and people, increasing flexibility thereby enabling us to cope better with sudden, unexpected changes. Things in your life can improve i.e. job, house, relationship, finances etc and this can’t happen without change. When you turn from your usual path, there will be plenty of different opportunities waiting for you – new choices for happiness and fulfilment. Embracing change often results in us being stronger and more confident.
One of the most profound changes in my life came about following an experience of depression. Prior to the depression I was unhappy with many aspects of my life, when I started to feel well again, I re-assessed everything and started to make changes. Like author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle writes, ‘Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.’
Now when I experience change, I repeat the affirmation ‘Whatever happens I can handle it’ and I know I can.
Embracing change can be easier when you recognize you are in a change and not denying it but facing it head on. Remember it is normal to have a reaction and feel all kinds of emotions and one of them might be grief because sometimes no matter how good a change can be, there can still be a loss.
It can be really helpful talking to someone you trust about how you are feeling, it is important to be able to ask for support and express what you need.
It can be particularly helpful to remember what is still familiar in your life, what isn’t changing and stick to usual routines to reassure yourself that not everything is changing.
When we feel a bit overwhelmed by change it is easy to forget the resources we have that can help us through this process, for example, time, skills, good health, other people and finances etc.
One of the things that can really help is remembering times in the past when you successfully came through a change and the positives that brought into your life.
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, especially if there are lots of changes happening at once, it can be helpful to break them down into small manageable chunks and focus on one at a time, this can help reduce anxiety.
What can be reassuring is that all change comes to an end and when the new circumstances are in place, all will become familiar again, back to a feeling of normality.
Finally the inspiring American Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr says,
‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.’
If you are interested in attending a change workshop please contact at [email protected] or www.circleswork.co.uk