Is it possible to learn to like change?

Riffing on the theme of change here. But this week, I’ll keep it brief.

Once, when I was preparing to co-teach a class with my meditation instructor, I confessed that I was feeling nervous and anxious. She suggested I might think of it as a heightened state of awareness. The body doesn’t necessarily know the difference between anxiety and excitement so the heightened awareness I was experiencing negatively as anxiety could also be reframed as heightened awareness to novelty and change.

When I started thinking about that, I realized that part of me loves change. I can’t stand getting stuck in a cooking rut – I need to keep trying out new things. I can often be found rearranging furniture, reorganizing drawers and closets, and donating items that are no longer being used. I mix and match my clothes, constantly creating different looks. And I shift around my schedule all the time – sometimes because I have to but often because I just want to.

As I’m moving through this current period of uncertainty, I’m not only recognizing the discomfort of not knowing, I’m also noting the anticipation and excitement of looking forward…and not knowing.

This makes me wonder if we can change our relationship to change by expanding our perspective. Change can be hard, we know this. It’s one of the most essential concepts in life – that change is certain, sometimes difficult, and that we often resist it. It is true that some change is painful, but it might also be true that some change – even potentially the painful kind – can give way to new, unimagined parts of our lives.

And, when you have a practice in place such as meditation, that supports you to be with your experience as it unfolds, you can rest assured that whatever change is in store for you is stuff you can handle.

What do you think?