Responding to Change

Keep your ship steady in choppy seas

Change is an inevitable and necessary part of life. Even small changes can have a big impact, leading to feelings of anxiety and loss of control. Try these tips to help you stay happy during change.

1. Come home to your breath
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? When everything is changing around you and the feelings of panic arise, returning to your breath will give you some solid ground. Place your hand on your lower belly and feel the breath drop deep. Focus on the flow of air in and out, and enjoy breathing mindfully.

2. Find balance
Think about a change you have been through in the past. What kept you stable throughout? Who helped you? What remained constant in your life? By identifying your stability zones it may help you realise that some things remain unchanged, and that you have a network of people to draw upon. It’s a good way of preventing the change from becoming all consuming.

3. Take control where you can
Change can lead to feelings of loss of control; there probably will be things that you cannot control! This makes it even more important to spend some time identifying those areas of your life and work that you do have real control and influence over. From this strong basis you can draw empowerment, and perhaps begin to let go of a few things which you cannot change.

4. Take tiny steps towards your future
Positive thinking isn’t easy, especially if you feel negative! Think of it as seeing options. Imagine a realistic positive future, think about where you would like to be in a few years, after all the upheaval, and plan to take some first steps to getting there. Again, it’s simple but it can help you feel more in control of your destiny.

These basic tips for managing change successfully may seem obvious, but it’s easy to forget them when you’re in the eye of the storm. If you apply them during the good times, you will build helpful habits for when the going gets tough.

Visit www.oppositeleg.co.uk for more hints and tips.

Author's Bio: 

David trained as an actor at the Mountview Academy, gaining a 1st class degree in Performance. He trained as a teacher at London South Bank University.

David has studied clowning with Mick Barnfather and ‘Told by an Idiot;’ he has studied NLP with One Training and Alan Margolis of Hampstead Training. He is an experienced practitioner of the Alexander Technique and continues to study Wudang Tai Chi with Sifu Michael Jacques.

David has worked as an actor and director for many touring theatre companies, recently directing a MEN award nominated performance for the Manchester 24:7 theatre festival.

David has over ten years experience teaching drama and performance to adults and young people alike. He is the head of training for City Academy teaching presentation skills, communication skills, voice training, storytelling and acting at Sadlers Wells Theatre and working with a wide variety of business clients.

David worked for 6 highly successful years as a fundraiser and trainer on behalf of many leading charities such as Oxfam, Friends of the Earth and Cancer Research UK.

To Opposite Leg David brings a combination of skills as a performance teacher, with an understanding of how to apply those skills in a business or fundraising environment. He is passionate about the effective use of the body and language in order to have maximum positive impact and is an expert in rapport building and communication skills.

For Opposite Leg David has delivered training in both corporate and public sector settings, working with a broad range of staff from trainee teachers to senior business executives

David is a member of the Corporate Association for Professional Development.

Find out more at www.oppositeleg.co.uk/david-windle-c32.html