I took a change management course last week. It was intense. I learned some things I never knew but, more than anything, the program confirmed what I already knew.

Change.

Is.

Hard.

Apparently, we typically react to change in four stages:

I Shock

II Disorientation

III Anger

IV Other emotional responses

REALLY?!!?

According to an article by Dr. Theo Tsaousides, peoples’ approaches to change can make change more difficult:

1. Changing too many things at once
2. One change involves other changes
3. The status quo is comfortable
4. Unclear about the benefits of change
5. The change is broad and vague
6. Abandoning efforts too quickly
7. Changing other people

I am no doctor but have lived experience around change, and lots of it. I think people are scared of change. They are scared of the unknown, of a loss of control. So then I asked myself, what is fear, exactly? What are people truly afraid of? Fear of failure? Fear of underperforming?

I Googled “change and fear” and got this:

Labeled metathesiophobia, this level of fearing change causes persistent unrealistic and intense anxiety when facing new situations or experiences.

So then I Googled “metathesiophobia” and got this:

metathesiophobia – the persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of change

Ok, so this IS a thing…

My biggest fear is waking up tomorrow the same person that I am today (and the dark).

The challenge with change comes from our tendency to see it as a problem rather than an opportunity for growth. Change can be difficult because it can challenge how we think, how we work, the quality of our relationships, and even our sense of identity.

There is no growth if there is no change. That I am certain of. We need to change our narrative around change. See what I did there?

They are called growing pains for a reason.

Dr. Theo Tsaousides article from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smashing-the-brainblocks/202010/what-makes-change-difficult