Harnessing the Power of Change
Change be super scary, but it can also be hugely liberating. Opening yourself up to change can help you become the person you want to be.
When you are resisting change (even if it is not a conscious action), it keeps you stuck in your comfort zone. Moving out of this can feel uncomfortable, but it opens the door to change.
Here is how to embrace change and harness the power of it.
How Self Acceptance Reduces Stress and Anxiety
It is super common to look for external acceptance and validity. Most of the time, this does not work if you are not showing yourself any self-acceptance too.
When your self-acceptance is low or completely non-existent, it causes a whole heap of anxiety. This especially can happen when life does not pan out as you’d hoped or planned. You beat yourself up over super small mistakes, and it feels safer to stay within your comfort zone.
Being super kind to yourself when things go wrong makes it a lot easier to manage stress. Often, it is your emotional response to a situation that creates stress and anxiety. This is where self-acceptance can be a hugely underrated way to keep stress in check.
Self-acceptance is also essential for recognizing that it is not necessary for everyone to like you or to be perfect. You are a work in progress, and that is perfectly fine.
The anxiety you feel when life does not go as planned is super common when your self-acceptance is low. But this changes when you become more comfortable with who you are. You feel a ton more in control of your response to stress. It is something of a catch 22 situation. Since being able to manage your emotions in a more positive way also makes it simpler to accept yourself.
Your journey towards self-acceptance also opens the door to self-improvement and change. It is an essential part of the process.
Using Change As An Opportunity
A change of perspective can be a secret weapon for embracing change. Doing the same thing over and over again will bring the same results. So you need to do something different to change the narrative. Gaining a new perspective is vital for accepting change, rather than resisting it.
Your emotions can play a huge role in your perspective, especially when they are negative ones. Working on how one react emotionally to situations is a super underrated way to alter your perspective.
Re-framing how you see life changes and upheavals is key too. It is incredibly easy to see yourself as a passive victim of circumstances when things to wrong. This mindset can encourage you to push back against change.
Switch things up a bit so you can see the same situations as opportunities rather than setbacks or obstacles. This can make a huge difference here.
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone and Letting Go
Staying firmly in your comfort zone feels safe, but it does not offer any opportunity to grow or change. And over time, this stagnation can be demoralizing and even depressing.
Letting go of the fears that fuel this is crucial for getting out of your comfort zone. Doing this in baby steps means you have eased away from patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are keeping you stuck. Once you have had success with one baby step, you might be surprised at how quickly it paves the way for change.
One small action at a time is a whole heap less daunting and can rapidly snowball into more success in letting go of the things that are holding you back from change.
Volunteering to Get a Fresh Perspective on Others
Volunteering can have a ton of benefits for embracing change. It can connect you to people you may not otherwise have met. These could be people from different backgrounds or who have different interest to you.
You can quickly gain new perspectives and opportunities from broadening your social connections this way. Focusing your time and resources on others opens up new ways of looking at situations too, especially if you can start to see things through their eyes.
Volunteering can also move you out of your comfort zone and boost your self-esteem. This combination of skills, experience and confidence can be invaluable for helping to create change in your life.
Embracing change can be super uncomfortable, but it is also extremely important for becoming the best version of yourself and getting to where you want in life. Self-acceptance, using change as an opportunity to gain a new perspective, letting go of limiting beliefs and behaviors and volunteering can all help create this change.
References and additional reading:
https://lifehacker.com/the-science-of-breaking-out-of-your-comfort-zone- and-w-656426705