Are you experiencing a lot of fear, confusion, or worry about the changes that are happening for you or others in these exceptional times?
You’re not alone.
Although change is always happening, it feels more heightened and urgent in our current times.
You may be making decisions about possible changes to school, work, and living situations, or related to different relationships, lifestyles, and schedules. You may be dealing with loss in different ways.
What I’ve come to know through doing my own work and supporting clients is that change itself is a natural and normal part of life and growth. AND how we move through change determines how it
You may be noticing your mind and body trying to shift and adapt and create opportunities from the changes, even if you aren’t always aware of what is happening or what might be next.
I experienced and was reminded of this personally when my partner returned to his yoga and fitness studio as part of the reopening process here in Ontario after 4 months of teaching online classes in the room next door in our small living space.
Even though we had talked about how each of our days were going to look and the change in our schedules and daily routines, I hadn’t really thought about or known how it was going to impact me.
It took a couple of days and then it hit me…
First, I noticed what was happening in my body and mind. Things felt “off” for me. I was a bit “discombobulated” or disoriented, was distracted and having difficulty focusing, and the time seemed to drag on. Even though I had a plan for my workday and all this space and time to myself, I wasn’t sure what to work on.
Thankfully, because of the work I’ve done personally and supporting my clients, I was able to stop and check-in with myself and what was happening for me and support myself with the changes needed with greater ease and more quickly than I would have in the past.
Here’s what I’ve learned is helpful:
- First, be aware of how you are feeling in your body and what is happening for you.
Staying connected to your body and checking in will help you noticed what is being triggered for you by the changes and outside events that are happening around you.
Accepting and creating space for these feelings and body sensations allows you to process them more easily. And see them as a signal that’s there to help you to see what is wanting to be shifted or done differently.
2. Next, use your awareness of your feelings and body sensations to help you see what you need.
Checking in with your feelings and using them to help you know what you need allows you to take responsibility for your feelings and meeting your needs and supporting others to do the same.
In my case, connecting with the distracted and ungrounded feelings helped me see that I had an ongoing need for stability and connection.
3. Finally, create a next step to support you. And take that one next step…and then the next.
Taking next steps will help you to make the changes that are being asked to be made in your life personally, in your community, and on a global level. And, taking one step at a time will help you move through any resistance, confusion, or fear.
The next step I saw was to review and update my schedule for myself and with my partner, being sure to create time each day and at the end of the week to reflect on how it was working for me and for us and to make any changes needed.
When you use this process to support you I know you, as I’ve seen for myself and the clients I support, will experience more ease with making decisions and with change and be able to “ride the wave” of your feelings and body sensations and befriend and use them to help you rather than be afraid of or avoid or push through them.
At the same time, you will experience letting go of old patterns and habits and creating space for new ones.
Change will become something you create and work with, rather than something to be feared and resisted.
And,ultimately you will be contributing towards making the decisions and changes that are needed for all of us individually, in our families, communities and the world.
Warmly,
Jennifer
P.S. If you or anyone you know needs support with moving through change with more ease, please email me at jenniferlsherwood@gmail.com or contact me on my website for a Complimentary Clarity Call. That way I can hear more about what’s happening for you and see if the work I do makes sense for you.