Change your perspective: how to see change as a gift, not a curse

As Event Professionals we are all too familiar with a multitude of challenges and changes in our industry and in life for that matter. You may be wondering why there’s yet another article on change, given that we have experienced it intensely in the last three years. Sadly, as we have returned to a mostly “normal” way of life, one thing I have noticed is our relationship to change still remains the same. And it’s no surprise why - most of us are hardwired to fight change!

I hold perhaps an unpopular opinion on how I view challenges.  I truly see them as a gift and not a curse, that pain can be transformed into purpose and ultimately growth. The wisdom lies in not ignoring how you feel about your challenges but accepting what is, asking what this challenge is teaching you, and how can you move through it and gain knowledge from it.

The one constant in life is change and change can be challenging. Whether you are dealing with professional or personal challenges - here are a few creative wellness tips to help you have a healthier relationship with change for your mind, body, and soul.

#1 - Focus your mind on what your body is revealing

Often, if you ask yourself why you don’t like change, you may not necessarily have the words to describe how uncomfortable you feel. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Depending on your lived experiences with change they may be negative or positive. If you are going through any changes, before asking your mind - ask your body: what are the deeper beliefs and feelings around change?

One sure way to get to the bottom of how you truly feel about change is through breathwork meditations. Breathwork allows your mind to focus on your breathing, giving you time and space for answers that may live in your subconscious mind (also known as the body.)

Benefits of breathwork include:

• Emotional release
• Ahas to life’s challenges
• Personal growth

This is the embodiment of the saying “feel it to heal it”- feel what’s coming up for you with your challenge or upcoming change, do not try to bypass your feelings to get to the positive state you so want. By going into your body, allowing yourself to feel the fear, sadness, anger, and/or frustration, you are allowing a part of yourself to be seen and heard and therefore released (at least a little bit if not completely.)  However, by automatically wanting to stay positive - you are negating your true emotions which will surely come back in repeated patterns to weigh you down.

#2 - Our minds do not like change

Our minds like what’s familiar. That’s why we find ourselves in repeated patterns and habits because that’s how the brain knows on a simplified level and how it likes to work. Our brains operate mostly either in the past (what we know) or future (what we don’t know) and it takes intention to be in the present moment of not knowing the outcome of a change and being okay. Our brains also operate on repetitive learning, so the more you allow yourself not to know, the more familiar you get with the feeling of change.

Fun ways to change your relationship with change:

• Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand
• Sleep on the other side of the bed
• Drive or walk a different way home than you are used

Change is a practiced skill and if you find yourself in a negative loop of feeling stuck but don’t do anything to change your situation, try practicing fun ways to change. This way when life throws you a new challenge that calls for change, you are much more comfortable with it.

#3 - Get curious with art journaling

Art journaling is a great way to explore your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.  It allows you to give yourself time, space, and permission to use other modalities to find creative solutions to your challenges. It can empower and inspire you, provide great insights and ideas into solving your challenges, and help with your relationship with change.

The power of art journaling to process change:

• Gets the chaos in your mind out on paper
• Accessing the right-side of your brain where creativity lies helps you solve problems with easily
• Provides a fun self-care outlet and helps reduce stress 
• Increases serotonin flow 

Using curiosity to seek novel experiences, build self-awareness and knowledge, and solve problems is a journey to finding the answers. It is a forgotten virtue and one that holds so much potency to help you through some of the hardest challenges you face in your life and work.

Next time you are faced with a challenge and upcoming change, ask yourself what positives have come from a past challenge? You’d be surprised when you practice acknowledging the positives how many there truly are and how you’ve been gifted in some way or another with positive growth.



About the Author:

Joanna Lean
Creative Wellness Facilitator and Freelance Event Director
LoveSelf Wellness
LinkedIn