Do others struggle with change? I find that in the weeks leading up to a big change in my life, no matter had good, I experience significant changes in my behaviors and moods. I get stressed out and anxious, probably more than is healthy. I was wondering if other people encounter this and what are some coping mechanisms used to help you get through?
Yes, I'm very similar. What seems to help me most is maintaining my routine so something is the same amidst whatever else has changed. It keeps me grounded, otherwise I feel adrift and unsure of what to do with myself.
I definitely struggle with change. I moved to a new house about half a year ago and it still feels weirdly uncomfortable. I like to keep the same daily routine, etc. The slightest change always seems to overwhelm me. I guess I don't have any useful advice, but I know what you mean. >.<
Here's a thought: everything is changing, yes everything is currently undergoing change, some of it is glacial-slow, some of it is fast, but nothing, absolutely nothing, stays the same. I am a trained chemist, and we deal with this every day: drugs expire, molecules are slowly decaying, the processes of life march on inexorably. The most that can be said about "stability" is that it is "meta-stable", wood is such an entity: swimming in a sea of oxygen in our atmosphere, it could burn in a flash, but it doesn't, it still requires a spark for the process to get going, it is meta-stable (old paperback novels whose pages turn brown are another example of "burning" when exposed to oxygen)... The anxiety that accompanies change in the realm of human endeavours is normal, the pace of change in our society is the fastest it has ever been: my iPhone is obsolete the moment I buy it...Anxiety is usually a symptom of wanting to control things, so perhaps you need to question the extent to which you can actually control things...if you really think about it, there really isn't much that we do control. So what to do? Embrace change, the chances of good things happening are just as probable as bad things. Happy accidents happen all the time, the skill you need to master is how to recognize the good things (and most "bad" things have the proverbial silver lining), and how to profit from them.
Dealing with change in general is tough. The best advice I can give you is to remember that just because something good or familiar changed, doesn't mean there is nothing/nobody else out there that can become good/familiar to you. Change can make me feel scared and sick, but I know if I keep my head up it can be exciting and lead me to something worthwhile.
Hi, flyawayfree! Just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I used to dread the idea of change so much that it would make me physically ill. Although, I learned later that my anxiety was the main culprit. If anything, what I realized was that, whenever I was up against something new and or scary, I had to learn to get use to the idea because I was so comfortable with what was familiar to me. And like they say, stepping outside of your comfort zone helps.
I would say I'm pretty good with change. I just look at the positive part of situations. For example I'm moving into my first place of my own this Tuesday so I'll have more freedom and be able to do things my own way. I would just look at the bright side of everything if I was you
