Change is inevitable. The spontaneity and uncontrollability of change are what makes us fear it. Sheldon Cooper once said, “I guess the only thing that actually stays the same is that things are always changing. Interesting… So you're saying the inevitability of change might be a universal constant?” This quote cannot be more apt. One of the only constants we have in life is the inevitability of change. The big question, however, is why do we struggle to deal with change?
We humans value things like relationships, our place of work, our friends, our family and anything that threatens to ruin those valuable ‘constants’ in our lives, make us fear change. We like planning; knowing where our next meal is coming from. That is an inherent trait in all humans. Change means risk and although some people are risk-takers, most of us are not.
Sometimes we would rather be worse off than risk having the situation worsen. We even sometimes, subconsciously, fear change because of a traumatic past incident. Change comes with a certain expectation that we would rather not deal with.
The thing about life is that everything and everyone is constantly growing; evolving and without change, growth cannot take place. It is how we view change that is going to affect the impact it has on our mental and physical health.
Change, however, can also be a good thing. Most of the time we overlook the good because we fear the bad so much. Change can be freeing and make us happy. It is a lot more tempting to stick with what we know than exploring the uncertain.
If we take Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory as an example. He despised change. Everyone always had to walk on eggshells around him to accommodate his fear of change. How hard they might have tried, it was unavoidable. In the end, without realising it, change gave him a wonderful life with great friends and he won a Nobel prize. This makes us think that maybe change is not such a bad thing. A wise woman once said, ‘The highest form of intelligence is adaptability to change.”
Do you ever struggle with change or get anxious with the knowledge of possible of change? We should not fear it, we should welcome it because sometimes a change is all we need.
Denis Waitley once said, “You must welcome change as the rule, but not as your ruler."