The Only Sure Thing in Life = Change

First Listed September 22, 2011

Change has been on my mind…….it’s been on my mind because many of the people I talk to have a hard time with it…….with CHANGE.

Change basically means to become different.

What is it about this thing called change? Something changes……..it’s different from a second ago………it’s not the same as it was 5 seconds ago………what is it about change that causes so much anxiety?

It’s our perception about change. It’s the label that we put on that change that causes the anxiety.

And you know what the biggest reason is as to why we are anxious when it comes to change? It’s the fear of the result of the change. And to take it a step further…….it’s the fear of the result of the change that the story in our head is telling us.

Our minds are amazing story tellers! But you know what, in order for the story to exist, it needs a listener……the story needs you as the audience to exist.

There is no painful story in one’s life without the presence of two main players: a “storyteller” and an “audience” that’s willing to sit there, listen, and believe in the story being told.
~ Guy Finley

What changes in your life did you fear that never ended up happening? What change have you fretted over for days, only to discover that is was nothing like you thought it would be? How much suffering do these stories you tell yourself about change cause you?

I’ve dealt with a lot of change throughout my life, and I’m sure you have too. It took me a long time, but I don’t dread it anymore. I actually get more curious about it rather than anxious. But that doesn’t mean change doesn’t get me anxious sometimes. But when it does, I notice the anxiety and I get curious as to what my body is trying to tell me.

Change is actually another chance for you to become more present in your life. And becoming more present in your life allows you to enjoy your life more….you enjoy every moment more because you realize you are here, alive and breathing and that being here is a gift.

So the next time you feel yourself getting anxious because of your thoughts about change……….

~ notice the story you are attaching to the change

~ notice your reaction to the thought of that change

~ notice where you feel the sensations of your reaction in your body

~ feel those sensations without labeling them…..just feel and notice for a few moments

~ then notice how you are feeling toward that change and if anything shifted

This practice will allow you, in time, to flow more with the changes that life brings you. And you can also practice changing on purpose.

inhale~enjoy~exhale,

Gina

image by David Reece