Benefits of Embracing Change

Written by 

Heather Rafanello, MSW, LCSW

@GrowingMindsetTherapy

October 14, 2024

Sweater weather is officially upon us on the East Coast. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year here, full of change - and while the leaves and seasons changing is beautiful, the topic of change itself for many is a trigger - but we’re here to change that.

While change can be uncomfortable, it’s an inevitable part of the human experience so we’re sharing the benefits of leaning into, or accepting change. 

Change is inevitable

Try all you might to control things, but change is a big part of life - and while this may be a hard pill to swallow, it’s simply a fact. Here are some of the benefits of embracing change: 

Change is an intentional choice

The prerequisite here is accepting that chance is a part of our reality. Once we’ve accepted change as part of life, we can then learn to make intentional choices about how, where, and when we approach change. The irony here is that most people go to extreme efforts to avoid chance by controlling situations, but learning to embrace change actually allows us to take back some of the control.

New opportunities

Practicing openness and flexibility allows things to unfold on their own, as they may without us altering or manipulating the world around us. This natural progression allows for new experiences and opportunities that we may not have thought of or tried before. There is a lot of freedom that can come from choosing to let go.

Embracing change can boost confidence

Controlling a situation allows us to be super prepared, ultimately allowing us to predict the outcome or some parts of it. When we embrace uncertainty, or unfamiliar situations we get a chance to lean past our comfort zone and into our growth zone. It’s a true test of what we’re made of, and in doing so we have the chance to truly boost our confidence from the inside out.

We increase our window of tolerance

As a mental health professional here, this is my favorite benefit of change. (Bear with me while I get a little nerdy for a moment) Our nervous system has two parts: the sympathetic nervous system is our activator, it prepares us for danger (think of the gas peddle in a car, it’s revs our engine), while our parasympathetic nervous system calms us down, bringing us back to homeostasis (think of the breaks of a car, slowing us down). Our sympathetic nervous system (gas peddle) is activated when we’re exposed to unfamiliar situations - preparing us to fight, flight, fawn, or freeze. When we intentionally expose ourselves to these situations, we get the chance to practice emotional regulation, therefore building a more tolerant and trusting relationship with our nervous system.

Change is hard, we know that, and learning to embrace change is not an easy feat. It is however an important practice, because if there’s one thing we know for sure is that there is always change on the horizon.

DISCLAIMER: This article is not intended to treat, or diagnose and medical conditions, nor is it a replacement for mental health or medical treatment. If you or someone you know is in need of clinical support, our team is able to provide therapy services to those in NJ and FL. Contact us to learn more. If you or someone you know is in need of immediate support please contact emergency services. U.S. Mental health crisis line: dial 988 ; medical emergency dial 911.