One need look no further than our current political environment to see the intricacies of change in action. For some, the new presidency elicited feelings of joy and excitement—for others, fear and anger. However, no matter what one’s political leanings may be, there is no denying that one can see the reverberations of change across the globe.

Rethinking How You Approach Setbacks

As scary and difficult as it may be, change forces us to look at our lives, our communities, and ourselves, with fresh eyes. It is in the face of change that we accomplish things we never thought possible and develop resilience. Change is powerful because it inspires people to defend their values. The Women’s Marches that recently took place across the globe were a response to the election—a need to engage with others, and communicate across a divide. Though many of the Marches participants may have shown up in frustration or anger, ultimately, the March was an experience of unity. People of all ages, genders, and political persuasions found each other and harnessed a power they hadn’t realized they had. Democratic and Republican, pro-life, and pro-choice, men and women, young and old—all it took was a slight shift and suddenly all these people (many of whom had been diametrically opposed) saw each other as allies. The March is just one example of a positive outcome made possible by what many may have thought of as a negative change, but there are plenty of small-scale examples playing out in each of our daily lives. Moving to a new town might be scary, but brings with it a chance to meet new people, re-establish oneself, or learn to accept help from others during a vulnerable time. The end of a relationship is sad and traumatic, but just beyond the sadness lays the opportunity to get to know oneself in new ways. Breaking a leg might waylay ones dreams of becoming captain of the basketball team, but perhaps it opens the door to a newfound love of art or makes room for hours of sitting on the couch with a family member and creating a stronger familial bond. This is not to negate the difficulty of life changes. Moving to a town where you know no one can feel lonely, break-ups are incredibly hard, and watching a long-held dream evaporate due to injury is painful. But just beyond the initial event lies possibility. Change has a funny way of turning the world on its head, offering a new perspective. It illuminates options, relationships, and growth opportunities that we may have not noticed before, and it can heighten attention to important matters. Change has the potential to endow us with an immense amount of personal and relational transformation.

Changing Your Relationships to Change—Two Ways In

  1. Honor feelings of discomfort  Think of the ways you handle change in your own life. How do you deal with feelings of excitement, fear and/or anticipation? It is entirely normal to cycle through some of the negative or fearful emotions that go along with change, but rather than getting stuck in the fear and discomfort, try to look beyond.

What doors have opened for you?How has your worldview evolved?What options and possibilities lie ahead?How can you grow as an individual?

Honoring the unease and discomfort that goes along with change is important, but taking the initiative to move past these emotions and master the art of change allows you to feel like you have agency and power in your life. You don’t need to be fearful or “just go along for the ride.” In fact, each and every change you encounter is a new opportunity for you to be a significant player in shaping the newfound world you now inhabit. 2) Practice Mindfulness of Breath  Paying attention to the breath is a core mindfulness practice. In TAKE FIVE, we use five fingers of one hand to count each breath cycle, hence the name TAKE FIVE. In this practice, a breath cycle consists of a gentle in-breath ending in a momentary pause, followed by a gentle out-breath that also ends in a momentary pause. The breath cycle repeats itself five times. We notice the body expanding with each in-breath and contracting with each out-breath. In so doing, we withdraw our attention from distracting thoughts and bring our attention back to the present moment. Here’s how:

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