Adjusting to Change

As harsh as it sounds, no one will ever be able to truly prepare you for adjusting to change in your life. There are just words and encouragement that require all your effort in order to surpass any fears or worries about change. It is a constant thing that will only continue as you grow as a person. But why worry? Why constantly fear change that can make you a better person and allow you to expand as a human being? The truth is, as a people, we find comfort in staying at the same point in life. Everyone is guilty of wanting to remain at the same level but wishing to be more ambitious about the future. Change is normal and shouldn’t be avoided regardless of paranoia or comfort; it should be taken as an opportunity to enhance our lives and become the people we want to be. 

As mentioned before change happens all the time whether it be minor or major. But it is also difficult to initiate change within our lives because transitioning can be overwhelming to adjust to. Oftentimes, people will remain constant with their habits or mentalities because it is easier to stick to what we know. Accepting that everything must evolve into something more can require a person to let go of anything they hold onto so that the development can really occur in their lives. Changes like transitioning from one workplace to another or going to college etc. It can either benefit us or harm us, but we can not avoid it as humans are always learning to adjust to inevitable moments and are growing and learning from the past. It is easier for our bodies to avoid the stressors of different circumstances. During this time of comfort and staying in the same state in life, we can become accustomed to what we are used to. This can often set us back in life. In order to live to the fullest, you have to accept that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. The change will hit us with physical and emotional feelings and we will always learn from it.

From personal experience, there has always been a large roadblock preventing me from accepting the change I endured when transitioning from high school to college. The habits that were created while in high school couldn’t be the same in a big university. It is a completely different experience that every student has to go through but it can lead to great opportunities. Expanding our lives to opportunities like networking and creating friendships are often overlooked. 

Once senior year was coming to an end, there was a time when I became extremely fearful of what was to come in the future. I felt lost in my direction and it felt overwhelming to imagine what it would be like restarting in a brand-new environment. The feeling of being completely solo during college freaked me out, just like it would for any upcoming college freshman. But to add to my stressors, I had to move to another part of the state with my family. Completely separated from my hometown friends, I was left with no other choice but to connect with other students or I’d be alone. I spent countless hours dwelling on the fact that I have to break out of my shell and become this social butterfly. Let’s be real though, who wants to go their first year at college by themselves? I didn’t want to continue the cycle of missing out, especially during this time in my life. 

For anyone, going to a new school or moving from a new place is difficult, and for some, it could even be liberating to have a change in their lives but for me, it seemed like my world was falling apart. Growing up I lived in a strict household with many rules and at times it felt very controlling. I got used to the idea that I was gonna miss out on a lot of things my friends got to experience because of it. So when high school was coming to an end, I was very excited to go to college and begin this new journey with my friends.  It gave me the opportunity to be more independent and to make my own decisions. But that was taken away from me fast when I found out we were moving. The news was bittersweet as so many things rushed to my head. But actually acknowledging what was happening made me realize living in my small apt in Queens and going to my dream college in the city was almost too good to be true. I get asked often why I didn’t push to stay more or told that I did it to myself by moving with them but it was never that easy, even if anyone says it is. I had to look at the bigger picture and a major component was adjusting to change in a positive way.

 I’ve never liked change, I never like adjusting to different things, and I completely avoided any chance of something new happening because I never thought of changing the ways that I was comfortable with. Voluntarily moving two hours away from my friends is something I wouldn’t do but if it meant my family would get amazing opportunities, I would make that sacrifice. So I did it, I accepted the new scenery, the new college, the new everything. Ive only been here about nine months and still, I struggle. I continuously have moments where I am so upset that I had to leave and moments where I say “This is why I don’t like change”. But each time teaches me a lesson that I constantly need to hear. As mentioned before change isn’t something that is going to be easy, there is no time frame for how long it will take to adjust. But with all efforts, it can get easier which is what I convince myself every time. 

Throughout life, everyone is put in situations where they have to break out of their shell and alter the habits they’ve grown used to. We all begin this at a young age, like when we start a new school every couple of years. Researchers express how young children are influenced by peer relations but not necessarily because of popularity but because we unintentionally admire those with higher self-esteem. It’s normal to go through moments of shyness and avoid certain situations because of any type of fear. But living with that mentality prevents you from ever growing as a person.