Five Strategies to Cope With Change

Photo Credit: monegka Flickr via Compfight cc

I am a creature of habit. I enjoy getting up everyday to the same routine. How about you? Do you struggle with interruptions? Is your routine as sacred as mine? Do you hate to be confronted with new challenges? Do you look forward to massive change at work or school?

Sadly for many of us, we must accept the fact that change is inevitable and accelerating! Just think about technology. In the last 50 years we have changed the way music was delivered to us from records to 8 tracks to cassettes to CDs to streaming! We have traded our massive and bulky console televisions with fuzzy resolution for sleek 60” UHD TVs.

Other changes confront us all the time as well. We are changing jobs and careers at an accelerated pace. People are more mobile and are moving far more frequently. Our children grow up – that’s a huge adjustment. As we grow older there are changes to our health, even when we take good care of ourselves.

How can we possibly cope with all the change? Is it possible to even thrive in the environment of change? If you hate change or even if it just makes you uncomfortable, here are five things you can do to cope.

5 Effective Strategies

1. Incorporate change into your own routine. When you are in control of the change, it is much easier to manage. So, try new things. Change your schedule. Take a risk now and then. Do some traveling. These things help you embrace change that is happening all around you.
2. Be flexible. I schedule my mornings for maximum productivity but leave enough wiggle room so I can respond to anything urgent that may come up. I plan on at least an hour or two of lost time each day for the unexpected.
3. Stock pile. This is what I mean. When you can work your way ahead, do so. Then when confronted with an emergency you don’t have to panic to catch up. For example, during the summer this year, I was able to write about 6 or 7 extra blog posts that I didn’t publish. Then when I had weeks of overwhelming demand on my schedule through the fall, I simply used the posts I had previously written.
4. Accept interruptions. What are you planning to do today? Can it wait until tomorrow? Sometimes it really can! Don’t panic, adjust!
5. Never compromise essentials. For the follower of Jesus that means there is always time for prayer and Bible reading. Everyday the discipline of time with God is strictly enforced. The essential of worship is never neglected. I always plan on being in worship – it is a non-negotiable!

Don’t be defeated by the change around you! You can still thrive! Allow God to inspire your life. Follow Jesus through the storm of change and you will find that you are better for it!