Coping with Change

Change is hard for me. I’ve never liked it especially when I am in the midst of it.  

As a society, and certainly in the workplace, we are told that change is just part of life which somehow makes it feel like people are saying it should be easy. While I get that change is part of life, I’ve noticed that sometimes we don’t always allow ourselves and others to go through all the emotions and phases that come with change.

I recently took a course where we talked about different cycles of change and it helped me understand better that change, similar to grief, has a process and phases. The part that resonated with me the most is the Change Cycle. Seeing the image below with the various stages helped normalize my feelings around changes and also helped me realize that the resistance many of us feel is normal and is part of the overall change cycle.

Credit: https://changecycle.com/change-cycle/

With all the layoffs right now, I think so many people are being forced into change. I just want to share that all the feelings you are experiencing are normal.

If you find yourself struggling with any type of change, even if you chose it, I hope seeing this change cycle allows you the space and words to deal with the change.

It will get easier over time. You’ve got this!