Five Ways to Deal With Change

You’ve been laid off. Or perhaps your spouse has asked for a divorce. Or your doctor has just informed you that he’s found something he’s “concerned about.” How do you make wise decisions when your life is turned upside down? How do you find calm, peace and sanity again? Who do you trust when everyone is giving you contradictory advice? How do you determine the choices that will lead to success and not more failure?
It’s scary and anxiety producing to go through any of these life changes. It often feels like being lost in the woods. There are no obvious markers that say, "this way to safety." If you look up the word "transition" in the dictionary, you'll see definitions like a "passage," "major change," "shift" and "development." These are all words that indicate transformation. It’s what life requires of us.
Everyone experiences transition, often many times, during the course of a lifetime. It feels unpleasant because it requires that you let go of the known, the familiar, what you've come to think of as safe. You may wish for an “instruction book” to help you make sense of your crisis — a book that would tell you about your life purpose and lessons, inform you about the best career choices, who to marry (and who not to!), as well as provide detailed information about how to stay on course throughout a long life.
I’ve come to believe that we do, in fact, have those instructions. We’ve always had them. They’re written in our souls. We’re hardwired to receive this information. It’s called intuition — a ready source of direction, a compass of the soul — available to all of us. This Divine wisdom is an invisible intelligence that animates our world and provides insight and direction to guide our lives. So how do you tap into this wise guidance and allow it to lead you during difficult times? Following are five tips to help you make the passage:
Listen Within
Next time you find yourself coping with worry, check in with your intuition. Get in the habit of asking questions of your intuition and expecting a reply. You might ask, “What could I do to feel calmer about this issue?” Your intuition communicates with you through images, body sensations, feelings, as well as through the proverbial, still, quiet, inner voice. It will always guide you to the right next step.
Take Time for Prayer
Prayer softens our hearts and requires vulnerability and openness to make way for something new. It may be a new idea or simply a shift in awareness that allows you to see the world through different eyes. Many spiritual traditions believe the heart is where you connect with the Divine. When you pray, you are making a request to align with a loving, compassionate force that wants you to be successful and at peace in your life.
Switch the Channel on Worry
Worry is like any bad habit. It can be addictive! One small anxiety leads to another. Before you know it, you’ve imagined your life falling apart, not only now, but also continuing into your future. Next time you’re feeling worried, try this: Ask yourself, “Is there another way to think about this issue/concern/worry.” Begin to catch yourself in the early stages of worry and negative thinking and focus on what you want versus what you don’t want.
Imagine You’ve Already Succeeded
One of the best manifestation tools is to imagine your life as you’d like it to be. What would you be saying to yourself when you’re on the other side of this current crisis and thriving and happy again? Some people like to record these statements, others to simply visualize their success. You can also write notes to yourself acknowledging your victories. It can be a wonderful way to recognize your greatness while you’re on the sometime uneven path to success.
Take Small Steps
Creating a big change in your life can be downright overwhelming. Where do you begin? This is the biggest hurdle for most of us. Commit to taking at least one action each day that will lead you in the direction you want to go. Ask your intuition, “What could I do today that will help me _____?” Fill in the blank with your current intention. Pay attention to any ideas that feel interesting. Those are the ones that are intuitively guided and they’re the very ones that will lead you back to sanity and serenity.
Excerpted from Lynn Robinson’s book, “LISTEN: Trusting Your Inner Voice in Times of Crisis.” Available from Amazon at http://bit.ly/4c4PMx