If only personal changes occurred with as much advance notice, knowledge and preparation time as seasonal changes provide. Fall’s arrival gives us time to prepare, take inventory of what we require and ease into the future. We feel energized in saying goodbye and anticipating the next.
Seasonal changes can also bring heightened urgency, anxiety, melancholy or dread. Forced to say goodbye too early, we bemoan mismanagement of precious time as we hunker down and prepare for upcoming formidable challenges. Familiarity provides a good inkling of what is coming—we’ll get through this one just like every other year.
Change can come at us out of the blue—a car accident, robbery, phone call. Most change, however, gently blows our way for weeks. Even longer. While appearing to arrive abruptly, honest connection to our intuitive center informs us that the upcoming changes we’ve been ignoring have been nudging us to step out of denial for some time:
The feared healthcare diagnosis results from not feeling well and making a Dr.’s appointment; our spouse’s divorce request is the culmination of ongoing marital strife; our child’s school expulsion confirms at-home behavioral changes; our job loss makes sense upon observing clandestine leadership meetings; forecasters predicted the damage left in the storm’s aftermath. (Click here for a list of top stressors related to change)
Eventually, time runs out. We can no longer shield ourselves from the unknown or the inevitable shifts that ultimately require our full attention. Releasing resistance helps convert the “I didn’t see that coming” into “Now, when, I look back upon it, I see the signs…”
Similar to preparing for the next season or cleaning up and rebuilding after a storm, transitioning through change is smoother going with the help of another. Contact me if you’re in need of a seasoned storm trooper.
Together we can devise a new customized plan to help you welcome your next—with joy!
enJOY, Mary
Contemplate:
Traversing change and stepping into the unknown is messy. It requires:
- attitudinal willingness to adjust
- processing through emotional and mental muck
- focused attention
- tenacious effort
- forgiveness of self
- exploring and honoring new beliefs
- appropriate time expectations
- the right tools to process and prepare
- a willingness to release or reframe the past
- acceptance of what has or is coming
