If you’re a big planner, surprises must drive you crazy.
You have everything planned to the last second. You’ve dotted every I and crossed every T. And yet somehow, someway, something screws everything up.
Now, your head is running 1,000 MPH trying to figure out how to move forward, fearing what’s next, panicking because you have no plan anymore.
As difficult as it is to navigate unexpected life changes, we’re here to help you overcome your adversities.
Today, we’re providing five strategies to help you navigate unexpected changes in your life.
Understand that Unexpected Life Changes Will Happen
Unexpected changes are a huge part of life. But when we hear that, many times we assume that means bad things are bound to happen.
While in some cases, that is true, that’s not the full story.
Good things are destined to come your way, too!
You could have one of the best days you’ve ever had, yet have one sudden hiccup ruin your mood. Or you can have one of the worst days you’ve ever had and have that one random blessing perk your mood all the way up.
A strong tip for navigating unexpected life changes is to accept that things happen. Whether things go your way or against your way, it’s gonna happen eventually.
So before you lay in a funk about the bad things going around you right now, recognize that there will be a time when something beautiful comes your way.
But when that moment comes, don’t dwell on the bad so much that you forget to appreciate the good.
Which leads me to the next tip…
Build Up Your Mental Resilience
In times of struggle, it’s easy for us to immediately jump to the worst thoughts possible. That’s because humans are prone to negative bias.
Negativity bias is when we react to, learn from, or make choices based on negative experiences and outcomes.
If you want an example of negativity bias, go on Instagram and find two trending posts: one with a good message and one with bad news. Which one do you think is likely to have more likes, comments, and shares?
Even with celebrities who’ve made a bad decision. They can do so many good deeds to try to atone for whatever wrongs they did. But because people strongly remember that one bad thing they did, they won’t view that celebrity in any positive light.
The next step in navigating unexpected life changes is to not jump to negative conclusions instantaneously. Assuming the worst possible outcome every single time is a coping strategy preventing you from going one step forward.
Understand that regardless of what the outcome is, being overly pessimistic (AND optimistic) is not the way. Approach your situation with a realistic point of view.
Yes, you may be unprepared for this situation. You probably weren’t ready to encounter this moment. But stay steadfast and focused because:
- One bad instance doesn’t mean the world is going to end
- One good instance doesn’t mean that you’re winning the lottery
Become Adaptable and Flexible to Change
If you’re a planner, you might have a hard time with this…
Life will not revolve around your plans. And you need to understand that this is okay.
In fact, roll with the unplanned every once in a while. You may just experience something brand new and walk away grateful for that experience.
One of my best friends and I pretty much share a brain cell sometimes. We quite often make ideas for trips or events for a day. We have a whole itinerary of fun stuff we’d like to do.
And we rarely follow through on most of them.
Instead, our friendship has thrived on some of the most impulsive, unexpected, last-second decisions we’ve ever made. Do we regret it? Not in the slightest.
We’ve been planners in our individual lives for a long time. And yet, 80% of everything we do was off script. Honestly, I’d say we’ve developed quite a bit of personal growth thanks to each other. We both do a pretty good job of overcoming the fear of the unknown in our lives.
When it comes to your personal life, allow and embrace change. Don’t let fear deteriorate your mental health and motivation because you don’t know what’s next.
And if you’re a frequent listener to the podcast, you definitely should know how important it is to…
Embrace the Unknown
(Newer listeners should check out The One Step Forward podcast episode “Embracing the Unknown”; that’s the prequel to this topic.)
When you’re forced into navigating unexpected life changes, you also have to deal with not knowing what comes next.
Not knowing what’s next paralyzes you with fear that:
- Prevents you from taking necessary action
- Stunts your growth by keeping you in your comfort zone
- Causes you to overanalyze everything
- Holds you back from taking one step forward
And we get how daunting it is to suddenly change your whole internal script. But, in many cases, it’s necessary.
YOU are the one in charge of YOUR life: not your fears, not your mistakes, not your past pains. Your fears and doubts don’t control your life, YOU DO.
So release fear’s grip on your life and overcome the fear of the unknown. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but three ways to at least make a start are to:
- Take a calculated risk
- Become adaptable and flexible enough to take one step forward without preparation
- Accept that going in afraid is still ok because at least you’re going
Learn and Grow From Your Experiences
There are some pains we experience that just won’t go away. There are some moments we would do anything to relive over and over again. Some moments keep happening until we put ourselves in a position to make it stop.
But we build the resilience to keep making the most of life anyway.
And that’s the most important element of embracing the unexpected: take what you’ve experienced, grow from it, and keep pressing one step forward at a time.
Even when you’re faced with the unexpected, life has dealt you with plenty of experiences from where you can learn from and feel slightly prepared for whatever’s next.
You are in Control of Your Life
I just want to reiterate this…
Yes, whatever it is you’ve endured was beyond your control. It was something you may have had no idea how to deal with. And it probably left you feeling fearful of if it’ll happen again.
But do not give up; do not allow fear to run your life.
Instead, use these strategies for navigating unexpected life changes and encourage yourself to take one step forward, even when you’re scared.
This blog post is based on The One Step Forward Podcast Episode: Embracing the Unexpected.
