Flowing with Change

Life is often like a river with its own current. Sometimes we are just floating along, other times we are caught in a rapid. Occasionally we get stuck in an eddy. The ebb and flow can be welcomed or feared. Our world seems to be moving in a very fast current. Just when we get accustomed to the flow something creates a shift. Change is constant. Just like technology; as soon as you master a computer program, or a cell phone, they change. We can try to resist change, paddle as hard as we can back up stream, but this will only wear us out.

Coping with either positive or negative change can have long-term effects. The unsettling feeling of not being able to control life, or the fear of the unknown from making a change, can cause our bodies to suffer. Our bodies can suffer from feelings such as anxiety, overwhelm, excitement, fear, insomnia,

denial, depression, and distraction. Knowing how to ride the current and flow with change can help you on your journey.

If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.  ~Author Unknown

Four tips for flowing with change.

1.Take extra care of your body. Your body is like the raft you are floating down the river in. If it has a hole you sink. Or like the car you drive down the highway, without gas it stops. Drink lots of water as stress dehydrates the body. Keep your tank full. Exercise whenever you can, as this will help you sleep better, and release stress. Most importantly remember to stop and take deep breaths. Breathing slow conscious breaths is healing, relaxing and helps you become more balanced.

2.Pay attention to your thoughts, become an observer. When you carefully pay attention to the thoughts that play in your head, you discover what you are feeling. The more you observe the more you can make a conscious choice to think thoughts that will be helpful verse thoughts which are negative. A positive attitude is extremely important in flowing with change. Plus it lightens the journey because when your thoughts are more positive, you have more fun. Humor is the best medicine.

3. Write in a journal or talk to someone who can help you. Writing helps you process change and understand what you are feeling. Writing can also serves as a map through charting the steps and direction you wish to take toward your intention or goal. Sharing your feelings with a coach is powerful for gaining insight and understanding about your thoughts, dreams, or fears. A coach can help you uncover feelings, which may be hidden thus causing aggressive or passive –aggressive outburst, or spot unconscious thoughts, which are sabotaging your life. Some thoughts are difficult to uncover by yourselves.

4.Accepting change and letting go of resistance can take time. Trust the process. Every night for a month look up at the sky and say, “I surrender”. You will discover profound answers and amazing wisdom from this simple ritual. Another daily ritual is saying affirmations such as “I hand this over to a higher power and all is well” or “everyday my life is getting better and better”. Affirmations don’t make things happen; however they open the door and welcome what you affirm to enter your life. Accepting change can be easier said than done, be gentle to yourself. Reading positive books or listening to inspiring audios can also be supportive. They will help you have a smoother ride down the river of life.

Just like they say water never boils when you watch it, we have to learn to trust the process of life. We will be tested over and over again as that is just the nature of life. However as years move by and we look back at past rapids, we suddenly can see that in the end there were many gifts.

Keep flowing, Coach Louise Rouse