The Key to Embracing Change
The word “change†can induce fear and anxiety in a lot of people, because the word tends to imply that things that are not in our control, they are shifting into unknown territories, and the peace of what we know and are comfortable with is getting destroyed. Most people have a threshold of change that they are willing to accept and go with, but when too many aspects of life start to change too fast, everything can begin to feel overwhelming and out of control. Change can potentially produce a lot of feelings of anxiety and depression in some individuals, but it does not have to always be this way. Dr. Messina & Associates is a Southlake, Texas psychiatrist group that specializes in a vast range of mental health concerns, and they are able to significantly help anyone that is dealing with heavy change and is unsure with how to navigate it. Change in life is inevitable, but we can shift our perception of what this word means and fully embrace it so that it does not have control over us.
New Opportunities Will Appear
It is not always easy to comprehend all of the good that can come out of the changing of one or more life situations, but the silver lining is absolutely always there. If you took the time to sit and ponder back to a time when your everyday life was altered in one way or another, you might have a realization of just how many new avenues were suddenly revealed to you. When we least expect it, new opportunities can appear out of seemingly thin air left and right, which might have never happened if your life situations did not shift. Maybe you suddenly have to switch schools, but this is what will lead you to a new great friend, or you get fired from your job, which turns into discovering what your true passions really are. Change might always give the impression that it is a negative thing on the surface, but once you accept and embrace it, magic can transpire.
Change Can Teach Us Important Lessons
There are lessons to be found nearly everywhere in life, especially in our lowest, hardest, or most stressful moments. Big or small life changes have the chance to impart valuable lessons on us, giving us the opportunity to grow and change with the circumstances. All forms of change become easier and less troublesome when we learn to not resist it and instead have a positive outlook on everything. This may sound easier said than done, and it probably will take a conscious effort to be welcoming of change sometimes. Resistance to matters such as change will ensure that the experience ends up feeling like a negative thing, and if you surrender to it and choose to see it in a positive light, it will likely feel more positive overall. Our reactions to our external realities have valuable lessons embedded in them, and they have the ability to expose how we truly feel or what we truly want. This might have been concealed before change was brought about, allowing you to dig down and realize important life lessons and values.
It Helps Us to Be More Present
One thing that many people tend to struggle with is living more in the present moment on a day-to-day basis. When a big change is taking place, such as the preparation of a big move across the country, this can force us to be much more aware of the current circumstances and it can help us be more present with the existing environment before it is no longer the norm. Out of habit, humans tend to live their lives in the future or in the past, either thinking of everything that has yet to happen or dwelling on things that already have. Change teaches us that there is no use in stressing over future circumstances that have not even happened yet, especially when the change has not been initiated by us. Being a bit more intentionally present everyday can uplift any individual and create a sense of calm that only this act is able to bring.
Change Keeps Life Exciting
If you were to observe someone who happened to do the same exact thing, every single day for their entire lives, you would probably feel some level of discomfort and wonder where the fun in never drifting from their routine is. This is a helpful way to look at all levels of change, especially the kind that is out of our control. If nothing ever changed once in a while, we would eventually end up feeling stuck and unmotivated. New and unexpected situations can have so many exciting opportunities embedded within them, as long as we welcome them with open hearts and minds. Change can enable us to feel more fulfilled in life overall and can allow us to grow out of our comfort zones, which is generally a very positive and empowering thing.
One of the most beautiful representations of change is the cyclical transformation of the seasons, which is always inevitable and always accepted by us. We do not resist the changing of the seasons, so why should we oppose the changing seasons of life? The past year has brought upon a lot of change for most of us in one way or another, forcing us to adapt to circumstances that no one could have ever expected to experience in this lifetime. A lot of this change that has been experienced might have not felt ideal or positive, but choosing to see the silver lining and new opportunities that have been liberated due to it is a huge step in the right direction. You might have lost the chance to travel as much as you had anticipated this year when the world shut down, but looking back you now realize and are grateful for all of the quality time you got to spend with your pets or family members instead. Life is all about the journey and the lessons learned through it, as well as adopting change whenever it is possible.
Getting Help
If you are ready to embrace change, contact us at Dr. Messina & Associates. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and medication management, our highly qualified team specializes in anxiety and depression in children, adolescents, and adults. In-person appointments are available to patients in the Southlake (DFW) area. Online appointments are available to patients in the Austin, DFW, Houston, and San Antonio areas.
References
https://www.psycom.net/dealing-with-change
AUTHOR
Dr. Michael Messina
