When Change Creeps Up On You

Today feels like the beginning of transition. I am filled with energy as the temperature has shifted ever so slightly. This is my time of year. The change from summer to fall is comfortable and inviting for me as I embrace the crisp air, the bright colour palette in the trees and the increased focus on work for me and school for my children. I have a quicker step and clear focus on what I want and where I am heading.

Generally, transition is a tough thing to handle for me. I feel safe and secure in the sure and steady flow of the day to day, and then “boom” change occurs. I am at calm and feel peace in my expected, but eventually, get bored and crave for something more. This brings on a surge of creativity and ideas that I cannot push out of my head. I need to act on them; they are like little gremlins swirling around my head; their persistence is unavoidable. Sometimes, I think that I might be a little nutsy as the magnitude of the number of these inspirations become overwhelming.

The funny thing about a change is that it is much easier to cope with when we are prepared for it. There’s the catch; we are very seldom prepared for most changes in our life. They usually pop up out of nowhere. Sometimes, the change is positive, and sometimes, not so much so. This is when we need to stop and slow down so that we can digest what is happening. Even when we have instigated the change ourselves, we can get so entrenched in the “doing” part of the shift that we forget to embrace what is happening. This is when we become the “list makers”; that person who is doing just for the sake of doing. Our mindset becomes, “It is a good idea, so it must be done.” We end up doing everything that the creative gremlins are feeding us, rather than, thanking them for all of their ideas, and then choosing how many we can handle and the ones that we resonate best with. Then comes prioritizing and reiterating, “This is all going to happen eventually”. And with that revelation comes the discovery that we don’t need to do it all right now.

When I am in this space, I remind myself of the soothing mantra “live in the space between my breath”.  Recognizing one's unique personality and how it reacts to change is the key to managing a transition at ease. It is futile to listen to others as they tell you how you should handle these situations. Their strategies are most likely congruent with what works for them. Remember that if you are awake to what makes you tick, you will choose a course that takes you through transition with peace and calm.