Mentally Preparing for Change

 Life is ever changing but how do you mentally prepare for change?

In recent times, your life might have been impacted by the death of a loved one, you have moved, graduated or had a change in your job situation. Whether or not we are ready for these changes, we have to adapt to them. 

By mentally preparing yourself beforehand, big life changes can become less traumatic and instead become rewarding experiences. 

The number one factor that causes stress is unfamiliarity. 

Familiar situations are comforting to us — we’ve already created neural pathways to help us deal with these situations, and our brain may even release feel-good hormones because a situation is rewarding. Unfamiliar situations are daunting — we haven’t created the neural pathways in order to deal with them, and so the brain pumps the body full of cortisol, the stress hormone, in order to make us more alert and prepared for danger.

By mentally preparing for major life changes — we can create a sense of familiarity. This can help to reduce stress — because we have a clearer idea of what we need to do.

Here are some thoughts on mental preparation. 

Some changes are out of your control. 

Creating backup plans is a way to mentally prepare for change. As the constant question, “What if?” — no matter how morbid the question may be. What if my parents were to die? What if my partner was to leave me? What if I was to be made redundant from my job? How would I act in these situations? What this does is allow your brain to mentally prepare for eventualities. This doesn’t mean worrying non-stop. Everyone’s life has things that happen out of their control. 

For voluntary changes, make a plan of what you want this change to look like. Once the change starts occurring, there will come a point when there’s no turning back. It’s important to keep looking forward at this point — there is nothing gained from dwelling on what you could have done differently.

When it comes to traumatic events, don’t be afraid to look into counseling.  

It’s important to remember that even after undergoing the biggest life changes, certain things will remain the same. Try to reinforce old healthy habits and routines where possible. Keep up old hobbies that bring you joy, listen to music you love, indulge in healthy comfort foods, and stay in contact with old friends. This will reduce the shock of a major life change by making you realize that not everything has changed.

We live in an ever changing world!

Best,

Manal