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Navigating Life's Inevitable Shifts

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” It’s an unavoidable reality—nothing stays the same forever. Relationships, jobs, finances, health, context, lifestyles, and good fortune, they all evolve at some point.

Some life changes might be uncomfortable or frustrating but still manageable, like a flight delay or a work deadline being moved up. Other changes, however, can completely throw us off course, like the upheaval COVID-19 caused in how we work, being made redundant, a major health condition, or financial misfortune forcing wholesale lifestyle changes.

Change can also be as simple as something not going the way you’d hoped or planned.

What Shapes Our Response to Change?

Like most things in life, how we cope with change depends on a few key factors:

• Your natural tolerance for change: Some people are wired to embrace it, while others struggle.

• Your experience with change: Whether you’ve been through life’s ups and downs before or had a relatively smooth ride until now shapes how resilient you are.

• Your mindset: Do you see change as negative or as an opportunity for growth?

• Your actions: Do you tend to wait for the problem to go away or take control and respond to change?

Given how varied our experiences are, there’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint for handling change. However, there are some common, research-based approaches and tools that can help you adjust your response to uncertainty and change, helping you gain perspective and make the best of the situation.

What Happens When Life Knocks You Off Your Path?

Today’s question is: what happens when we feel sure-footed on our path, build identities around what we’re accomplishing, and then—life happens. We get knocked off track. How do we pick ourselves back up and forge a new path?

1. Manage Your First Reactions

When things don’t go to plan, our first reactions are often negative. If we’re not careful, these emotions can dominate our entire response to the situation. Try to recognise and limit these negative reactions before they take over.

• Acknowledge that life doesn’t always go to plan.

• Don’t take it personally: The change probably isn’t about you. No one’s intentionally trying to harm you; often, the impact on you is an unfortunate byproduct of a larger situation. Once you remove the victim mentality, you can start to view the situation more objectively and get back on track.

• Look at it from another angle: Consider why this change is happening. What are the real drivers? Can you use empathy to understand it from another perspective?

2. Don’t Let Emotional Reactions Take Over

Change can induce stress or panic, and it’s natural to react emotionally. But try not to let your emotions take over. The moment we get stressed, our inner resources shift from our logical, rational brain to our emotional brain, leading to catastrophizing or fixating on unhelpful details.

To flick your rational brain back on, try these strategies:

• Label your emotions: Identify what you're feeling and where it’s coming from.

• Allow yourself to vent: Feel angry, frustrated, or betrayed, have a cry, or talk it out for a period—then move on.

• Take a walk or practice mindful breathing.

• Engage in a physical activity.

• Create an alter ego for your inner critic: Give it a name, and tell it to be quiet when it gets too loud.

3. Reframe Change as an Opportunity

Instead of seeing change as purely negative, reframe it as an opportunity for learning and growth. You have the power to turn something inherently difficult into something positive.

Practical Ways to Navigate Change

Here are some constructive thoughts and actions to help you recalibrate around change more effectively:

1. Seek Support

Share your concerns with loved ones or trusted advisors. A problem shared is often a problem halved. Be careful, though—seek out people who will offer balanced, objective advice rather than those who might fuel your emotions.

2. Create Certainty Where You Can

We humans thrive on certainty and struggle with ambiguity. Research shows that we’re more comfortable with a negative but certain outcome than with uncertainty. So, from a mental health perspective, the less ambiguity, the better.

To create certainty:

• Clarify the impact of the change on your life: What parts of your life will it affect, when, and how?

• Make a plan: Structure the situation by identifying steps to take. Focus your energy on doing something about it, rather than panicking about what’s outside your control.

For leaders, it’s essential to provide as much certainty and clarity as possible. Communicate early and often, offering context and explanation around the changes.

3. Stay Prepared for Anything

Don’t bury your head in the sand. Accept that nothing lasts forever and that change is a natural part of life. Stay aware of potential changes on the horizon and prepare for them.

• Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

• Reflect on past changes: What did you learn from those experiences? How can you apply those lessons now? How can you seek help from others?

4. Get Creative

Humans are wired to conserve energy, and we tend to stick to familiar paths. But change often forces us to come up with new ways to achieve our goals, whether that’s something small like a weekend getaway or something big like a career shift.

When one door closes, another opens. You might have loved your life before, but it wasn’t the things you loved—it was how those things made you feel. After a change, think about how you can recreate that feeling in a new context.

The Opportunity Within Change

Change brings with it an opportunity to reflect, grow, and explore new possibilities. When life shifts, focus on what you can learn and how you can use the experience to craft something new or even better. By approaching change with resilience and creativity, you’ll find that what once felt like a setback can become a stepping stone toward something greater.