Transitions are happening all around us as we move from summer to fall. Many of us are feeling the inevitability of change on an inward, personal level. While the idea of change can be welcomed, actually making the shift can bring up a lot of fear, especially when it involves the perception of risk or unknown outcomes. Standing still is an option but not usually one that works for long. So how do you prime yourself to make a life shift? Starting with some simple acts can help you through the process.
Clean Out a Small Physical Space:
Whether it’s the trunk of your car, a kitchen counter or the clutter that has gathered around your computer. It doesn’t have to be a big production (although if clearing one area inspires you to move onto another—go for it). This type of act helps prepare us for change because our human psyches innately connect with metaphors. While cleaning off the kitchen counter may not seem like it would do much, it is a step that links to our deeper consciousness around releasing ourselves from stagnancy and/or confusion. Having “practiced” on the objects on the counter builds our ability to achieve greater clarity while getting accustomed to going through transition. To magnify this process, it’s a good idea to ask yourself the following questions as you are clearing, “What here is no longer serving me? What don’t I need anymore?
Working For Me or Against Me:
Again turning to your everyday life, assess a household routine or the physical placement of objects in your workspace to see if the way it is now supports or hinders you. Does having the stapler sitting on a table across the room from your desk cause you to just put papers in a stack to “deal with later”? Does ironing your clothes in the morning create an even more harried beginning to your day? Small changes on the everyday plane help the psyche to get in touch with what can be energizing and away from what drains joy. Questions to ask in this process are, “What would simplify this routine—and make me happier to do it?”
Try Something New
Try something different, just because you can. The idea here is just to open up to new possibilities, allowing yourself to see something that might have been overlooked before. Tasting a new food, trying on a style of clothing that you had dismissed as not being you or taking an alternate route home can further build our capacities to embrace change more skillfully and confidently.