Change is Hard

 

By Christine Elizabeth

The other day I was on a walk home and thought about how I often don’t appreciate the little things in my ordinary life. I get so caught up on what’s next, and my future. I forget to enjoy what is already so good in my life and the beauty around me.

 

Lately, I have had to face the reality of certain things changing in my life – finding new roommates, work challenges, my friends possibly moving, and also certain emotions and desires rising in my heart. I am someone that really doesn’t enjoy change, yet I seem to have to adjust to change constantly.

 

I wouldn’t say I enjoy it any more than I used to, but I can face it without feeling like my whole world is falling apart. I used to avoid change at all costs. I had the same college roommate for 4 years, lived in my childhood home for 23 years, and picked my major in college based on the fact that I had already started on that path. To put it simply, change is hard for me.

 

How do you face change without crumbling? For me, I try to keep a few things constant in my own life. I am always working towards a healthy balance of nourishing my mind, body, and soul. If I can keep myself grounded in truth, then I know I can handle anything life throws at me. Here’s how I try to keep balance.

 

Taking care of my mind means reading a good book, learning a language, or writing. It helps me ease my mind, and relax. Instead of focusing on my worries, I can use my energy to nourish my mind.

 

Taking care of my body means multiple things including regular exercise, eating balanced, and giving myself rest when I need it. I was so burnt out after I graduated college, and was constantly tired. It took me awhile to finally give myself permission to rest. I realized I didn’t have to run around doing something every hour of the day. I was allowed to watch Netflix after sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

 

Taking care of my soul means keeping a close relationship with God. When I am not praying, reading the Bible or reflecting on my spiritual state, I really struggle in everything else. I start to see the world with a lens of darkness instead of a lens of hope.

 

It’s a ripple effect and one thing after another starts to feel unmanageable. I lose my confidence, and life becomes harder than it has to be. Life is hard enough already, and when we add in hopelessness it becomes almost unbearable. Sometimes all I can do is look at one line from the Bible or say a short prayer, but God hears us. He really does.

 

It’s also important to find the joy in your life. Maybe it’s hard for you to find it, because things feel really heavy right now. I get you. I’ve been there. There has to be one thing you can think of that is good in your life. It could be small such as making it though another day without a panic attack, or managing to not give into a disordered behavior for even just an hour (self harm, eating disorder symptoms, etc…).

 

Every moment is important in your life, even if it seems like there is only one small moment of success facing temptation and saying no to giving in. That’s one moment you can rejoice in, and remember when you face another temptation. We have to build upon small moments to help us eventually be stronger in big moments.

 

We can’t dismiss a single moment in our lives, because we all matter. God has a plan for our lives, and He sees us in our suffering. Remember this, “Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

 

Change doesn’t have to be scary, and it could be a chance to finally take a step towards the dream you’ve always had. It gives us a chance to look deep inside ourselves to ask, What do I really want in this life? How can I get there?

 

We all get caught up in our routines. I think we need to remember our WHY. Why am doing all of this? If we aren’t working towards our WHY, our reason for doing what we do, then maybe it’s time to embrace whatever change is coming our way. Better yet, you have the power and the choice to be the change. Why wait for something to happen to you? Go out and be your change.

 

You have the chance to fight for your life everyday by making small changes or big changes. You can do this thing called life, no matter how small or weak you feel. You can do it. Give yourself permission to try something new. You also don’t have to face it alone either. You are never alone, and that’s a lie you have to stop believing. You are never alone. God is with you always. Saying YES to change is your chance to say YES to your dreams.

 

P.S. You are enough.

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