Jose-Andres Alegria Change is never fun. At least for me, it isn’t. I know some people love change. It gives them a sense of adventure or breaks them out of the monotonous moments of life. I, on the other hand, need a routine. I like stability, so when I push myself out of my comfort zone, I have something to lean on when things get too adventurous. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel, try new things, and experience fun adventures, but I need my routine and stability, so change is not something I run to with my arms wide open. Here are 5 tips on how to deal with change.
1. Plan Ahead
You may know that change is coming. However, only some change is unexpected and blindsides you out of nowhere. For example, you can plan for certain things if you start a new job in a few weeks. You might know the day-to-day differences of your new job right away. Think ahead for things you might need to do before your new job. In the wise words of Captain Cold, “make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan.” It sounds counterintuitive, but having a plan, even if things don’t go accordingly, will help alleviate some of your nerves surrounding your big change. It is better to have a plan and not need it than not to have one.
2. It’s All About Perspective
Change is stressful sometimes. Some times we complain about change because we have nothin better to do, but negativity does you no good. It’s so easy to sit back and complain about new things. I’m the worst when it comes to whining about dumb things. (Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken.) Sometimes, all you need to do is change your attitude and perspective. Look at change with a half-glass-full mindset instead of a half-glass-empty one. You can nitpick anything in life, but positivity will do you the most good in the long run. You can combat your negative perspective if you are mindful of your negativity. So do yourself a favor, and give positivity a try.
3. Routine
Change brings chaos, but if you can plan routines to help ease the anxiety, the change won’t be so chaotic. For example, plan your lunches, so you have something to look forward to as a break in the middle of the day. Plan simple little things in your day to help ground you in your new environment and the changes that develop around you. The thing I struggle with the most but that has kept me the sanest is waking up at the same time every day (even on the weekends) and working out.
If I stick to my routines, my day is much more productive, even when life throws chaos my way. And magically, at the end of the day, I am tired. I struggle with sleep. I have for a long time now, but when I stick to my routine, I regularly get eight hours of sleep instead of struggling to get four hours barely. Routines are the single greatest thing I have implemented into my life. I feel like a real responsible adult now. It’s kind of wild, to be honest.
4. Moderation, Change, and Control
Control is comforting. Maintaining control over every aspect of your life is exhausting. Everything was in moderation, as my aunt would tell me as a kid. And as a kid, I didn’t listen. I would eat all the junk and drink as much sugar as possible, but now I apply that simple little saying to almost every aspect of my life. We cannot control everything in my life. I can’t control whether or not I get sick after going to a friend’s wedding. (Congrats to Amanda and Tyler! Love you guys.) But there are some things I can control in my life. I can control what I eat, if and when I work out when I go to sleep, how much screen time I have, and what I do with my free time. Controlling those aspects of my life helps overcome any anxiety associated with change.
5. Go With The Flow
Life has its ups and downs. You can’t control every little thing that happens to you. Change is a lot to deal with most of the time. We all have our schedules and routines that give us some sense of comfort and normalcy. Change will throw us into a whirlwind, and we try so hard to fight for control over every aspect of our lives when we feel like we have no control over everything. So take a deep breath and go with the flow for a bit. Life happens, and even when you make and execute a plan, you sometimes have to throw the plan away. Life is full of curveballs, and the best we can do is plan for some of them and navigate the change as it comes.
