by Elspeth Raisbeck

Created on: July 09, 2010

Dealing with Change.

The only constant is change.  It’s a cliché but true.

However, there are 2 types of change and the way we react to each can be quite different.

The first type is the change we make ourselves – a new hair cut or colour, moving neighbourhoods or just rearranging the bedroom furniture are changes we choose to make.  They’re often fairly easy to deal with because we have control over them.

But what about change that happens to us - comes along uninvited and shakes up our lives?

Adapting to Change. Some people relish change and thrive on it.  For others, dealing with any of these scenarios is challenging and their first reaction is to worry.

For the latter types – which is probably you if you’ve chosen to read this article – change may always be hard.  How then can you feel less threatened and anxious about change and how can you adapt to it more easily?  Here are 4 steps that will help.

Step 1 is to stop.  You’ve heard the news that a change is about to happen; you can feel your blood pressure start to climb and your head’s rushing with ‘but you can’t’ and ‘no, it’s going to be terrible’.  But just stop.  Take a breath and put those objections to one side - it may help to close your eyes and imagine them as solid objects that you can gather up and put into a drawer or closet. Acknowledge that your concerns are there and are valid but tell yourself that you’ll come back to them later if necessary.

In step 2, remember that the Chinese character for ‘crisis’ is a combination of the characters for ‘opportunity’ and ‘danger’.  So, when you’ve gathered your thoughts and got over the shock of the change that’s taking place, take a moment to ask yourself what opportunities this unwelcome change could bring you.

Does a change in the company’s management enable you to make better progress in your career?   Or does your parent’s marriage to a new spouse give you the opportunity to get to know a step-sibling who can help you on a project or introduce you to different things?  At the most extreme end, this change might be one that makes you re-evaluate everything in your life and force you to make changes yourself.

Step 3 is where you ask yourself what you can learn from this change.  If there is a change in management at work you may

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>