It’s an old saying that the only thing constant in life is change. To fear change is to self-build roadblocks in your growth and progress journey. Some changes are indeed more painful than others. Often changes are even irreversible, like losing a loved one.
We may never be always fully prepared to accept sudden changes, but responsiveness to change has allowed the human species to exist and evolve where others have perished. Hence, preparing yourself to accept life changes, whether good or bad, is an important part of personality development and self-care.
How To Cope With Change In Life
No one can guarantee you that your life will not take sudden drastic turns. Yet, we can teach you to always have your mental seat belts on to cause minimum damage, and your paperwork ready to insure your life from major setbacks.
Here are some key steps to cope with change and uncertainty in your life:
- Acknowledge and accept the change: Acknowledging that things have changed is a key step towards accepting the new circumstances. Only when you stop pondering about what could or could not have been, can you start focussing on growth and progress. We can never truly anticipate what destiny has in store for us. You cannot choose the cards you are dealt. You can only choose how you play them.
- Plan a strategy to re-energize and replan: Remind yourself that you have dealt with change in the past, even if it was not of the magnitude of present circumstances. Figure out what helped you cope with the previous changes. If relaxing and taking it easy for a while helped you, then reduce your work burden. On the contrary, if you feel that throwing yourself into work helps you keep things off your mind, then plan accordingly. There is no one-size-fits-all to cope with change, and you have to tailor your strategy according to your personality.
- Set a routine: Whether you choose to take it easy or to work harder, creating a mental routine plan will be of immense help. You may plan it like going for a walk, talking to a parent or friend, indulging in healthy cooking, etc, if it’s the former. Or organizing your work schedule if it’s the latter. Getting control over your daily tasks helps you get a sense of security and control over life, which helps in cleaning the negative energy and sense of helplessness around you.
- Tackle change with change: Get a new hobby..or a new haircut. Make new friends, or reconnect with old ones. Learn a new skill or pick up the old guitar. Things are not meant to remain the same. So, tackle change with change!
- Practice gratitude: Practising gratitude after waking up in the morning helps you start the day in an energetic mode. List 5 things every morning you are grateful for. Practice positive affirmations whenever you have time throughout the day. Also learn to acknowledge the small achievements you have made in life, even if it’s something small like rearranging and organizing your room into order.
Understand the importance of change in your life. It might be painful. However, remember, “every birth of a child starts with immense pain to the mother” and sometimes, “the old falls apart because a better new has to fall together.”
Quotes About Change
Quotes like the above mentioned sometimes help us rejuvenate and relook at change from a more positive perspective. These quotes can become a part of your daily positive affirmations. You can also write them down on your wall or workboard so that they infuse you with positive energy whenever you feel low.
Here are some more insightful quotes about change for you to choose from:
- “When you open yourself to change, you open yourself to inevitable possibilities.”
- “Change can be a challenge if you view it like that, it can be an opportunity for growth if you view it otherwise.”
- “Coping with change is a life skill that, once mastered, reaps life-long benefits.”
- “I do not know when, where, and how, but things are sure to change. That is inevitable.”
- “Changing means growing. It means you are not stagnant in one place.”
- “If you have not changed for a long time, you have not done much worthwhile.”
- “Welcome change as a harbinger of new opportunities.”
- “Change with change and everything will remain consistent.”
- “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
- “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.
- “Your life does not get better by chance; it gets better by change.”
- “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
- “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
- “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t living.”
- “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
- “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
- “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.”**
- “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”
- “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”l
- “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change their future by merely changing their attitude.”
- “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.”
- “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
- “People don’t resist change. They resist being changed.”
- “All great changes are preceded by chaos.”
- “It takes courage to let go of the familiar and embrace the new.”
- “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
- “Change, like healing, takes time.”
- “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”
- “Sometimes in the waves of change, we find our true direction.”
- “We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.”
- “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
- “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
- “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
- “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.”
- “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.”
- “Sometimes we fear the changes ahead, but often, they lead us exactly where we need to be.”
- “They always say time changes things, but you have to change them yourself.”
- “When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”**
- “You can’t stop the future. You can’t rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret…is to press play.”
- “Change before you have to.”
Wrapping up
We may fear change. But the truth of the matter remains that it is inevitable. You can never predict its origin or outcome, but you can make the best of the situation by following a few of our time-tested suggestions mentioned above.
The trick is to not lose confidence in yourself. If you feel unsure in this arena as well, why not practice these positive affirmations for success and confidence?
An Engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor, and animal rights activist. I have more than 5 years of teaching experience and have worked closely with students with learning disorders. I have worked with special educators, counselors, and experts in dealing with common issues that students face during their academic journey.