Ancient thinkers were fascinated with the concept of change. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said that you can't step in the same river twice. Still, the fear of change affects many of us and because our realities are all about change. In order to effectively navigate life, we want to learn how to embrace its inevitability.
To befriend change when it occurs, we can ask "what is the lesson here?" and "how can this new circumstance benefit us?". We can also become comfortable with change by intentionally experiencing it. We can choose to come out of our comfort zones, maybe switch the route we take to work, cultivate a new hobby or try adding or eliminating an aspect of our personality.
Once the change has occurred, we should never look back. If we are continuously contemplating the past, change is going to be difficult or impossible to accept. Finally, while life is guaranteed to change, there is not much we can do about it. We are able to select our responses. Next time you expect an ordinary, fear inducing change, try interpreting the unpleasant physical sensations associated with that change as excitement in the body. Being afraid and excited feel exactly the same. By relabeling, changes can be transformed into a thrilling sense of anticipation and possibility instead of fear.
