Change

Ever wondered if change could be easier? If we could skip the uncomfortable part, straight to the part where it's fun again? Alas, change doesn't work like that.

I'm going through a year of change in my life. The truth is as much as known these changes are coming, it hasn't made them any easier. Some of them are exciting, part of 'growing up' and others are going to dramatically change everything that I've come to know and love about my life.

Change is all about going through a process, it takes you on a journey and it can help you look at the past, present and future in a brand new light. There are a number of ways that you can approach change but here are two of the things I've recently been doing.

1. Trying to ignore it, or deal with it later
2. Embracing it

I'm sure you can guess but one of those approaches was a lot better for my mind and body. I started by being consumed with all the things I had to do, planning, trying to figure out how things were going to work and look - whilst also digging into work, home and church. All of those things are actually quite good but I wasn't allowing myself to process and fully understand the magnitude of what was about to take place in my life. So much so that the stress of it all left me physically ill and emotionally drained.

This forced me to stop. Forced me to take a moment to pause and give myself time to think. Here are some of the lessons I've learnt about embracing change.

• Let go of the old to make space for the new. Things have to change. It's part of the rhythm of life.
• Give yourself time and space. Change can often feel like loss so we need to give ourselves space to process whats coming or what has happened and allow ourselves to find that new normal.
• Enjoy what you have. We can get totally consumed with the fact that change is coming - so much so that we forget to enjoy where we are in the present moment.
• Avoid regret - it’s not too late!!! Don't live in regret but instead use the time you have wisely. Fix things that have been broken, apologise, take the trip, do something different. Change doesn't always have to be forced on us. Its often easier to make a change when we have decided to do it.
• Obstacles are often opportunities in disguise. Sometimes we see change as obstacles, something to get over, but how about changing your mindset and seeing it as an opportunity something that is going to make you grow and learn and then get all you can out of it before it's time to change again.

Here are some things you can do to help you deal with the change.

• Journal
• Ask questions
• Talk to others - share your worries and concerns
• If possible, engage with whatever the change is. For example, you could visit the place you will soon be living or working in. Often our minds automatically go to the worst case scenario because we don't know the facts - so simply engaging with the change before it becomes permanent can help us make the transition.

Now I'm still going through some of my life's big changes and change is sometimes hard but I think Heraclitus said it best; "the only thing that is constant is change". Hopefully this helps you to make the change you are going through a little more manageable.