How to Accept Change

Change happens all the time, but it can sometimes be difficult to accept. Since most people feel more comfortable with familiar people, places, ideas and situations than we do with unfamiliar ones, change can seem foreign. But just as change itself is a process, so is the gradual movement toward accepting it. The following steps can help guide you through the process, making change easier to accept.

Instructions

• 1

  Anticipate change. Since change is a natural part of life, expect things to change fairly often. This prepares you for change and prevents you from getting caught off-guard when it happens.

• 2

  View change as an opportunity for growth. Since growth can't occur without change, look at change as a positive rather than a negative thing. See it as a means of developing personally, improving your circumstances and bettering your life.

• 3

  Recognize that learning to accept change doesn't happen all at once. Most people go through the following four stages before finally accepting a change: Denial, Resistance, Exploration and Commitment. So, give yourself the time you need to thoroughly deal with each stage and then move freely and naturally from one to the other.

• 4

  Be flexible. Make the best of changes you can't prevent, rather than wasting your energy fighting them. Channeling your energy in a positive direction gives you not just a greater sense of empowerment in handling the situation, but also greater control over the final outcome of the change.

• 5

  Accept the change. Embrace the opportunity to break new ground. Welcome the chance to demonstrate your ability to face a challenge creatively. You'll emerge from the experience stronger, wiser and more confident than you were before.