How many of us can truly accept change? Do we really adjust to life willingly, if we do so? These questions do make me wonder that when we accept change & adjust to life, do we become happier or do we curb our desires and wishes and feel forced to accept the change.
I remember the time when I was in college and had to move out of my parent’s house to the hostel, it took me a lot of time to accept the change and adjust to the new surroundings and people.
Similarly, whenever there had been major changes in my life, it took me time to accept the change and adjust to life. Of course, with time, I was able to just go with the flow and take the changes as they came.
As of now, I gladly welcome and accept change and have learnt to adjust to life, as it always makes me a much happier and content person. I especially loved this quote as it relates to me a great deal, and it’s something I mostly follow now-
“There are things I can’t force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest change needed is a change of my viewpoint.” ~ Denis Diderot
Change is everywhere and it happens, whether we want it or not. Some people welcome the new change and find the new ways to turn the unexpected into a chance for growth and development, while others may become frightened and react negatively.
While we learn to accept change and adjust to life, we are confronted with unforeseen changes in our lives. Our first reaction may be to either run away from it or fight against it, which are inborn survival instincts and occur when we may feel threatened.
Once you are able to mentally adapt to a situation, you can formulate a plan and implement it by adjusting to the situation. A person who can accept change and adjust to life is the one who is able to focus the mind in new directions and make choices based on his or her desired outcomes.
“Happy is he who learns to bear what he cannot change.” ~ J. C. F. von Schiller
Nonetheless, adapting to change is difficult for most people because humans are creatures of habit, and having to change our behavior and pattern is annoying and frustrating, and takes us out of our comfort zones.
How can you accept change and adjust to life?
Most people are not able to accept change and adjust to life and that causes them pain, as they believe that their expectations should always be met or that life should always be stable. This is not the way life works.
Change is a normal part of everyone’s life and it’s normal to face new and unexpected situations in life. You need to simply let go, learn to adjust & accept the change by changing your strategy to adapt to the new situation.
“We cannot change anything unless we accept it.” ~ Carl Jung
Mentioned below are a few ways that can help you accept change as it comes and adjust to life.
1- Analyze the situation
Give yourself time to analyze the situation by viewing the circumstances and actions from various angles to gain accurate understanding of what has happened.
Communicate your concerns, ask questions, and seek answers if people are involved, as this allows you to make informed choices.
2- Remove the negative options
If something bad happens, your subconscious mind searches for the available questions and answers. You need to remove such negative options of getting disappointed or becoming depressed, if the change isn’t as you wanted it to be.
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” ~ Maya Angelou
Remove negative thoughts and doubts, be optimistic, and you will find that you are able to handle changes in your life more easily.
3- Change the way you approach your problems
Whenever you are overwhelmed with problems in your life, or feel low and depressed, don’t feel bad- but just try to change the way you approach your problems. Try to work harder, study more, be flexible, think from a new angle, start all over again, and don’t forget to pray to God!
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~ Confucius
Remember, any change that occurs in your life, also affects those around you. Thus, learn to accept change by adapting to it and adjust to life. Change happens for a reason, and the faster you are able to adapt and move on, the better it will be for you and those around you.
4- Take it as a continuous learning process
Change is a constant in all our lives, and the skills required to meet various needs keep changing throughout our lives. When we accept change, we keep learning new things along the way in areas of self-care, parenting, relationships, financial, and others.
So, when you take change as a positive, continuous learning process, you are able to adjust to life in a better way.
5- Welcome challenges
Adjusting and accepting change brings challenging situations, which gives us a chance to grow wiser and more skillful. Be adventurous and take on the change as a challenge.
Expect change to occur every second, minute, or hour. And the best way to face up to or accept change is to be prepared for it, and make the best out of it.
Remember, that every situation that seems most devastating, carries with it the seed of a new blessing, and those who seek these blessings- will eventually find them.
6- Be patient
When you have to accept change, sometimes you may want to get it over with and move on as fast as possible. But the cycle of change often takes longer than you expect, as the change has to be analyzed, communicated, integrated, and time is required to adjust to it as well.
You need to be patient and let the change happen and accept it happily.
7- Let go
Finally, you need to let go of the past in order to accept change & adjust to life, so that you can remain optimistic and create the future you want.
“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.” ~ Gail Sheehy
Imagine sitting in a movie hall and watching a movie and all of a sudden the lights went out. You may not see anything for a few seconds but gradually you start seeing the objects around you. This is because your eyes begin to accept the change and adjust to the darkness. Similarly, you need to adapt and find new solutions to the problems or situations you encounter.
Remember, managing change and uncertainty can be much easier when you adapt your thinking and adjust to life by accepting the new methods, tactics, and strategies to manage change and uncertainty.
Are you able to accept change and adjust to life easily? What problems, if any, do you come across when you try to adjust to life as you accept the changes? Share in the comments below.
Photo Credit: Andy Newson