Big life changes can be daunting to say the least. You’re leaving the familiar behind as you step into something new, and it’s only natural to have some fear about your situation not working out.
Having an emotional response towards life change is human. We’re creatures of habit. We like to be in familiar situations, with familiar people – With stability. There’s nothing wrong with stability until it imposes on positive life change.
When you’re faced with a big decision you have two options. Feel the fear and do it anyway, or make an excuse and blow the opportunity. Unless you want to look back at the best years of your life regretting what could have transpired, I suggest you take the former option.
So let’s address these tricky emotions when you’re faced with a big life decision, but you’re uncertain about the outcome.
Addressing the fear of change
When you’re embarking on a new chapter in life, feeling fear is normal. Especially when you’ve been in a situation for a long time, big changes can destabilize you.
You have become familiar with your situation, regardless of whether that situation serves you or not. Even if that familiar situation causes you pain, that pain is home.
Naturally, it’s going to feel scary to strip yourself away from something you have identified with. Understand that the discomfort of changing your life is temporary, but the pain of staying in a situation that doesn’t serve you can be permanent.
Some people never change because they refuse to break through the fear barrier. As a result, they don’t achieve the quality of life that’s possible for them.
Whether you like it or not, life is always changing. Your life situation is always progressing, and you can never go back to the way things were, despite how hard you try. But don’t worry, because there are always better things on the horizon – As long as you apply yourself.
So why fight it?
You can embrace life change and let it take you for a ride, or deny life change and suffocate in it. To understand how the feeling of fear can serve you rather than viewing it as a deterrent, check out the article below:
You need to move on
When you stay in the same situation without stretching yourself, you’re robbing yourself of challenges, growth, new opportunities, and a better life experience.
You can still have fond memories of your past, but we all grow, develop, and change. If you’re changing internally but refusing to allow your life situation to mold, you’re going to outgrow your enclosure.
Therefore, your enclosure – Being your setting, interests, and the people you associate with also needs to expand. Your external reality must accommodate the changes in your internal reality, otherwise, you’re going to hold yourself back.
People who avoid life change imprison themselves in their comfort zones. People can spend their entire lives in the same situation – Which leads to stagnation. These people develop an aversion to anything unfamiliar, which results in a detrimental habit of staying within the boundaries of comfort.
A plant will never outgrow the pot it sits in. Your mind needs to feed, and if you always give it the same food, it will starve.
Life is about growth, and life change is a major avenue of growth. It’s inevitable. Even if you fear it, think about what’s in your highest interest and do it anyway.
The importance of seeking life change
By going through new situations and doing things that you are not familiar with, you gain a plethora of new skills, traits, characteristics, and abilities.
When you become more familiar with a broad range of different experiences, you feel more wholesome.
You can’t fake competence. That’s why you should seek out change in your friendship circles, your routines, and the lifestyle you have. Aim for fulfillment rather than comfort. Likewise, you should be seeking change in your mental programs, beliefs, and mindsets.
Strive to create as much positive change as you can in your life, and your life will only get better.
How to embrace life change
Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re making a big transition in life.
Cultivate a desire for life change
To embrace life change you need to cultivate a desire for it. We’ve already talked about some of the benefits of changing things up. Now you need to actively seek out those positive changes in your life, and acknowledge the opportunities presented.
Rather than dwelling on a past relationship, set your eyes on the doorways now opened. If you lose your comfortable job, cultivate a desire to transition towards something better for you.
To see the situation in a better light, I recommend you read the following article about cultivating optimism. This trait will help you see the situation in a glass-half-full sort of way.
Be the branch that bends
The journey forward can be turbulent at first. Especially if you’re going through a big transition, you can’t expect smooth sailing. But if you persevere while you discover your new identity, things can become much better.
You will get into difficult situations. You will encounter moments where you’re wondering why you were the fool who made this decision. But the struggle is temporary.
As long as you show adaptability to your circumstances and throttle forward with what you’ve got, You will always get back on your feet.
Trust the process
Part of what has helped me get through some tough life changes was my trust in the universe. I always trusted that things would be okay in the end. That sooner or later, this painful experience is a segway to something much better.
And it’s true.
I would always be in a much better situation, looking back and thanking myself for pushing through instead of taking the easy route and staying the same. So trust that it will all work out, and before you know it, you’re going to be in a better position than you once were.
Pursue new opportunities
Don’t just let life change passively happen while you cling on with your claws, actively seek it out. Look at the opportunity for change in everything you do. Because there’s always a situation that could be better in your life.
You don’t need to do anything too extreme like quitting your job and travelling the world. You don’t need to cut ties with people in your life. Life change doesn’t need to be drastic – As long as you’re moving the needle.
Start with everyday occurrences to form the habit of doing things that are a little unfamiliar. This will help you realize that it’s okay to be uncomfortable, and this might spur you to make larger changes in your life.
Let go of what no longer serves you
Life change is a train you can’t stop. You can either let it run you over, or jump on board.
Understand that life is an impermanent process. Things are always changing, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re getting older, and friends are moving on. You can’t stop this train, you have to accept it.
By consciously accepting that life is an impermanent process – A temporary process, you make the process of change a whole lot easier on yourself.
Digging into impermanence in this article is biting off more than I can chew, therefore follow the link below and we’ll get deeper into it: