Embrace on Personal Change

Change comes in many forms in our lives. These transitions can vary from moving into a new house or winning the lottery to an untimely death in the family or a divorce. On the career front, significant changes include promotions to accepting a new job. But even the introduction of a new person to a close-knit team can be disruptive.

So how can you get to grips with change more readily?

Deal with negative feelings

Some tried and tested methods for reducing the stress of change are:

• Remember change is double-edged. Change is rarely only good or only bad. Take, for example, a woman who gets promoted – she might be excited at first, but soon realize that she’s out of her depth and then find herself working long hours to cope with the pressures of the new role. Or a man who is made redundant – initially he might be depressed but eventually realize it’s an opportunity to embark on a new career path.

• Keep things in perspective. Even when a change seems positive – a pay rise or a promotion, for example – it’s natural to wonder whether you’re up to it and to feel stressed by it. The important thing is to remember that you will get through it. In a year’s time, you’ll probably be looking back on the event and be able to laugh at it. No matter how tough things might be at the start of a change event, it will get better.

• Distract yourself if you’re feeling down. In those dark moments of despair, the worst thing you can do is spend time on your own thinking too much. Do some physical exercise, listen to some uplifting music, make a phone call – anything to take your mind off things for a while.

Draw on other people

The people around you can act as a buffer against the stress of change too. You can use them to help if you:

• Disclose to others. Disclosing is just another way of saying that you should talk to other people. Don’t bottle it up and feel that you have to cope with change alone. Talk to your colleagues, friends and family. And be honest with your feelings.

• Act on advice. Amazingly, people going through a transition in their lives often try to struggle through using only their own brain. The people around you will have good ideas for how you can get through a period of change. If it’s a good change, the people around you can ground you and make sure you don’t get carried away. If it’s a change for the worse, they can give you pointers on how to get through it more quickly.