BIG CHANGES - BIG CHANCES

 

Someone once said that the only thing we can be sure of in life is change. 

Small changes are part of the life cycle as we move through it. They are usually incorporated into our lives without much stress, upset or inconvenience.

Life however, occasionally brings larger changes into our lives. 

It is said that the two most stressful changes involve the sense of loss created by bereavement and that which occurs when you change your residence. Other big changes occur when we experience the 'empty nest' or beginning retirement.

Times of big changes may be difficult and can actually be quite traumatic. This is especially true when large changes necessitate altering the daily routine which we used successfully for many years. 

As with so much in life, it takes time to develop and incorporate a new routine of daily activities into our lives.

Your attitude to change will, as in so many things in life, play an important role in how you view your new life and also how quickly you adapt and rebuild. 

Suddenly you may find you have greater freedom than ever to reorganize your life as you want to. For the first time in many years, if not at any other time of your life, you may actually have a chance to choose a new range of daily activities. 

However, sometimes a wealth of choice can be more worrying than no choice at all.

Newly found 'free' time leaves some people feeling happy, liberated and energized. Some quickly organize a new schedule which makes them feel busier than ever because they have many things on their 'to do/wish list'. 

The downside for a highly energetic person is the risk of immediately loading themselves down with too many activities.

Retirement can end up leaving these people with a frenetic and stressful schedule dangerously similar to the demanding one they had no choice about during their working lives.

Others however, might initially find that they are at pains to fill their day. They might actually find themselves feeling quite rootless and disoriented when long established habits and routines no longer provide a focus for their time and energy.

The danger for someone feeling unsure about the future and indecisive about what to do next, is the risk of feeling a bit isolated and abandoned by a busy world around them. In self-defense, some people may feign scorn, indifference or disinterest because they feel fearful or insecure about the future.  

The answer however, is not in withdrawing from life or in becoming too interested in other people's lives when trying to fill the gaps in your own. These behaviours risk unnecessarily alienating those around us.  

Instead it becomes incumbent upon each of us to relearn how to make decisions for ourselves from among the incredible number of possibilities which have suddenly become available to us.

It takes a while to accept and then incorporate a much greater freedom of choice and free time into our lives. 

It is however, a life changing revelation to realize and accept that we can finally freely reorganize our lives to suit ourselves. 

It can be exhilarating to open ourselves up to take advantage of, fully experience, participate in, and embrace, the new life opening up for us.