YOU wiLl LEARN
In this course, you’ll learn how to navigate yourself through change.
We’ll cover:
Why does change affect us all so differently?
How to know if you’re in ‘change limbo’.
Six strategies to manage change.
KEY CONCEPTS
Why does change affect us all so differently?
We all have a biological need to feel in control. When things are in flux, it creates uncertainty.
Our brains don’t like it.
Depending on how you’re wired, you might experience a sense of overwhelm in response to feeling uncertain.
What’s really happening is your brains trying to figure out if you’re safe, and what’s at stake.
For example, it’s natural if you:
Worry your job isn’t safe or it’ll change.
Feel a sense of unfairness.
Stress that you might lose important relationships.
Feel ‘trapped’ against your will.
Your brain is searching for what’s certain.
That’s why clarifying what is not changing, and what is within your control is so calming.
When we move out of our comfort zone, like we do during change, we can find ourselves in the ‘panic zone’. Having a set of tools to regulate ourselves and feel safe can be enormously useful.
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6 strategies to self-navigate change.
Choose one of the six to help yourself navigate change.
Focus on what you can control.
Focussing on what’s within your control, and what’s certain, will help your brain focus on the opportunities of change.
It’ll also help turn down the volume on worrying, by focussing on what is immovable.
Check out the workbook for an easy tool to reflect on what’s within your control and what is certain.
Accept what you have lost.
One of the heartbreaking, yet important, steps of navigating change is to accept what you have lost, or are leaving behind. Making time to process and accept that it’s changing can be incredibly helpful.
By accepting what ‘is’ you may find your brain no longer tries to go back to the past, holding onto old attachments. Telling your brain the truth can help process what is real and what’s emotionally tying you to the old ‘way’.
Try documenting what you can mentally accept in the workbook, even if it’s tricky emotionally, to help yourself move through change.
Outline what you could gain.
Taking time to document what you could gain with this change is incredibly liberating. It helps your brain start to see opportunities, not limitations, in the new world. Your brain needs time to adjust, so by nurturing those thoughts, you will discover that you produce more by focussing your attention on what there is to gain.
Admittedly, this doesn’t happen immediately, but slowly discovering what ‘else’ is out there can be incredibly powerful. For example, while it might be the case that a workplace change results in you seeing what other jobs are out there, you might find a useful example to update your CV, reflect on your achievements, and grow your confidence.
Schedule extra rest time.
Change is tiring. This is because your brain’s making sense of how you need to behave and interact with a new environment with the change. The old habits you used to have helped you conserve energy. The new change unsteadies that, requiring you to create new mental shortcuts in the new world.
As a result, you’ll need extra time to process, and probably more rest to counter the extra work your brain is doing to figure out this new world.
Be kind to yourself and - rest.
Create a career game plan.
You feel more in control when you have a plan that aligns with what you want.
Creating a career plan might sound counterintuitive, especially if you really enjoy your job. What it’s really doing is reminding your brain you have options. When you realise you have choice and options, you are less likely to feel trapped or overwhelmed.
The result? You’re more empowered, reminded you have opportunities. As a result, you can process change more quickly. The impact is that your brain starts seeing more opportunities (vs what there is to lose), meaning you can enjoy the change, quicker, having processed it at a faster rate.
Use this workbook to start mapping out your career steps.
Change your perspective.
We lose hope when we ruminate (go in circles with an unhelpful thought). What’s more useful is changing your scene, or perspective. This reminds your brain that your change is just one part of a bigger picture.
Visiting the beach, going to the top of a building to look at the view, or even just going through a travel magazine, or visiting a friends for dinner, can help your brain be reminded of that.
A holiday for your brain is as good as a real holiday.
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Creating your career game plan.
One practical way you can feel more in control during change is to fine tune or create your career game plan. This helps you focus on where you’re going - not where you might feel stuck.
Download the workbook to step through the prompts to clarify what you’d like to get out of this opportunity, and notice how your brain turns its attention to what there is to gain (even if the change wasn’t your idea).
There are always things to gain for change, but your brains need a minute to see the opportunities. Making a plan, and highlighting what you are accepting about the change, can have a huge impact.
Are you in ‘change limbo’?
If you’re finding it tough to move through change, you might be stuck in change ‘limbo’.
This happens when you struggle to see opportunities as a result of the change. It can be tricky to see the positives when change happens around you.
If this rings true for you, it’s time to get support. Speaking to colleagues, EAP, counsellors, coaches or a therapist can help you process what you’re working through and find a way forward.
Your workplace may have access to an EAP (employee assistance programme), where you can recieve free counselling with a professional.
Alternatively, it could equally be time for a change that you’re in control of. We are more motivated to take positive action when we feel in control and by taking a moment to reflect on what your next step could look like can help you feel more in control.