adjusting to change in our lives Archives - View from the Front Porch

23 10, 2023

Change is Coming

By judythemorgan|2023-10-22T17:59:30-05:00October 23rd, 2023|A Writer's Life, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

You can feel it in the air.

You can see it in the shifting of colors on the trees–shading from green to red to brown.

Shadows are lengthening as the sun shifts.

I’m sitting on my swing porch with a cup of tea. I can feel the change and at the same time dread it.

The constancy of seasonal changes can be comforting. If you live where leaves put on a show of color, nature supplies a master class in how change can be beautiful.

I definitely welcome the cooler temperatures after the sweltering summer we had.

The annual shift from Daylight Savings Time–that’s a major problem for me. My body protests the loss of an hour’s sleep and takes weeks to adjust.

I’m not a tree willingly changing color and shedding foliage. I’m a Texas tree that slowly fades to ugly, boring brown instead of glowing with reds, yellows, and oranges.

Grumbling and complaining, I remind myself there’s not much I can do about the weather or the time change except adjust my clothing, our thermostat, and our clocks.

I know Spring will roll around again and I will get back that hour of rest I lost. But the change tends to steal my peacefulness. It doesn’t have to.

A better approach to the change is with pliancy instead of frustration. Flexibility keeps our happiness steady. That’s why I take a cup of tea to the porch swing and relax.

Others recommend these three things when any change is stressful.

Breathe –By breathing slower and more deeply from your stomach, you signal your nervous system to calm down when you can’t control the situation. Purposeful breathing allows you to calm down and think rationally.
Smile – Smile even if whatever change has thrown your way is not funny. You’ll find a certain amount of detachment can lead to acceptance.
Pray or Meditate – To refocus the mind.

Most importantly, remember that change is the only constant in this world. Whatever the catastrophe or circumstance, eventually it will change.

What about you? What strategies do you use when change stresses you?

4 10, 2021

Philosophy of Change

By judythemorgan|2021-10-05T09:15:52-05:00October 4th, 2021|Make Me Think Monday, Monday Motivations|0 Comments

Seasons change. It’s a fact. Winter gives way to spring, spring to summer; summer to fall, and then we’re back to winter again.

The constancy of seasonal changes is comforting. We anticipate those changes and welcome each season for what it offers.

Yet life changes, whether small or major, bring stress and fear, and worry.

Same as seasons, life is not static, but a flow of change, never staying the same. It’s messy, chaotic, painful, sad, dirty, and never perfect.

Bad things happen. So do good things. It’s part of life’s cycle.

The sad truth is we cannot control every aspect of our lives any more than we can control the seasons.

We roll with the seasonal changes. Complain maybe but accept whatever weather dishes out. Why not flow with changes in life?

Reacting with anger and frustration only causes more stress when in the case of most life changes, we have no control. Change steals our peacefulness. But it doesn’t have to.

Flexibility allows us to adapt to new circumstances and keep our happiness steady. Not much we can do about the weather except adjust our clothing and our thermostat. Why not approach life changes with the same pliancy?

Here are three options to try when life changes are stressing you.

Smile – Smile even if whatever change has thrown your way is not funny. You’ll find a certain amount of detachment which can lead to acceptance.
Breathe – Breathing allows you to calm down and think more rationally.
Pray or Meditate – It refocuses the mind.

Most important remember:

Change is the only constant in this world. Whatever the catastrophic or minor circumstance at the moment, that will change…eventually. Confucius said it best.