Navigating Change: Stop Feeling Lost & Take Control
“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The world we live in is constantly changing. Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Just when you finally have things figured out, you get blind-sided and everything is different.
Births, deaths, weddings, new job, new school, new people, sickness, divorce and more.
It’s hard to adjust. Especially when the change is unexpected. Here are 4 things you can do when the unexpected happens so you can keep ahead of the game.
Don’t Fight It
Change happens, and there is very rarely anything we can do to change it back to the way things were.
Since we can’t reverse this process already in motion, what good does it do to complain and whine about it? Acceptance is the first step to change and recovery.
Denial does nothing but prolong the inevitable.
The longer it takes to accept, the more behind you are in keeping up with the change and the harder the adjustment will be.
Let It Out
It doesn’t matter how. Chat it out with a friend and rant. Go somewhere no one can hear you and scream. Write it out in a journal.
The point is to get it out of your system.
Keeping things inside, allows them to grow and escalate in your mind. Things start to spiral out of control and become worse than they actually are.
Saying out loud or writing it down makes it more realistic and we can see the actual scenario for what it is rather than it getting to a point that we create and can no longer cope with.
Once you get out all the bad stuff, take a minute to also let out all of the good things at the same time.
Get Excited About It
Instead of looking at the problems of change, think of all the exciting things and opportunities. We all have things we don’t like about our life they way it is, so why not take the chance to use the change to your advantage?
What opportunities come with this diversion from the plan? There are always good things lurking around the corner, sometimes we just have to look.
You may be saying, “Yeah, but what good can I find in this? This is the worst thing that can happen.”
Maybe there is a diagnosis. Maybe there’s a cure, maybe there isn’t. But coming from someone who has a diagnosis with no cure, there are still good things to be found.
Life is hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed.
Take Control
You can’t control everything, but take control of the things you do command. That is you.
One change can be the catalyst of improvement.
Moving to a new town? This is a great way to create the habits you will have. Find a nearby gym, start new eating habits
You have the potential to change anything you want when you already have one change started. Start a journal, take better care of yourself, find ways to give and serve.
Coming from one who literally cannot control her own body at times, I have learned there are plenty of other things that I do control. I am not helpless just because one thing (or several things- because… life) is out of my hands.
YOU are the one who makes choices. We can’t necessarily control what happens, but we DO choose how we react to it, and we DO choose what to do.
Don’t be a bystander of your own life, just letting things happen. Make a choice. Take action.
Action=Control.
Conclusion
Life is hard, changes or not. Stop and take a look around to find the good and the places you can take action.
Stop wallowing in your own misery and how awful things are. There is good to be found and good to be done.
Call to Action
Hard things still getting you down? Click HERE for my free guide to take control of your story!
