Most people fear change, and some actively resist it. It’s normal to shy away from things outside of your comfort zone, but change is a necessary part of life. Being more emotionally intelligent helps you to better embrace change and stop viewing it as an evil thing to be avoided at all costs. Here are four ways to utilize emotional intelligence to keep yourself open to change.
Identify what’s making you feel resistant
It’s natural to want to resist any significant change that comes your way, whether it’s at work or in your personal life. The first step to overcoming that resistance is understanding why you feel that. To understand why you feel resistant to something, you have to have a high level of self-awareness. If you fear change at your job will make you seem incapable, then create a list of the skills you’ll need to succeed and how you plan to learn them.
Question your emotional response
How we react emotionally to change reflects the stories we tell ourselves are true. However, these stories often aren’t accurate or in line with reality. Determine what main emotion is associated with the upcoming change. Once you’re able to identify the emotion you’re feeling, try to understand why that emotion is occurring. Which one of the stories that you believe to be true is influencing this emotion? Knowing this will help you to separate your feelings from your narrative and shift the way you approach the upcoming change.
Accept your part in the situation
Sometimes, we have a hand in creating a negative situation that upsets us, though we don’t often own up to it. However, being self-aware allows you to reflect on how your own behaviors and attitudes contribute to how you experience change. If you notice that you tense up when you hear or think of the upcoming change, try to examine your feelings and how they play into your attitude regarding the situation. Understanding your immediate reaction to a bad turn of events will help you adjust your attitude the next time and be more open to a new perspective.
Have a positive outlook
While you may be unhappy about the pending change, forcing yourself to think positively will actually help you feel more receptive to change. Instead of looking for the bad in the situation, think about what opportunities this change will offer you. Think about how those opportunities will benefit you and those around you.
Emotional Intelligence and Embracing Change
