Change. It’s inevitable.

Regardless of what we want to happen, something always changes. We can wish on every star and pray to God that nothing changes, but it still does eventually change. Nothing in this life is certain. You are never guaranteed another day. The only good thing about change is that we know it’s bound to happen. When change occurs it might not necessarily be a good change, but it also might not be a bad change either. Oftentimes, change is out of our control. Because change can happen so frequently, I have learned in my short life to not hold on too tightly, because you never know when you will be forced to let go.

Here are some tips on how to face change head on.

• Don’t Stress About Change – Since we know it’s going to happen, don’t waste your time worrying and stressing about it. Just relax and let it happen. The more you stress and worry about change eventually happening in the future, the more you’ll miss out on all of the things to enjoy in the present.
• Don’t Get Too Attached to Anyone or Anything – This piece of advice either works for some people or doesn’t. For me, I never get too attached because I know people come and go. The last thing I want is to be head over heels for someone or to have completely devoted all of my time and energy and then they leave. Always keep your guard up and slowly ease into allowing yourself to open up to someone. Head first, never heart first.
• Enjoy the Now – I’m most definitely guilty of not enjoying the now and getting caught up in worrying about the later. This is one of the worst things to do. Change does happen, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a life-changing, horrible change. Change can be small and hardly even noticeable. If you’re planning on the worst possible change to happen, you’re definitely going to get it. Just let things happen naturally.
• God Has a Plan – This is another piece of advice that either pertains to you or doesn’t, depending on your beliefs. I know that God always has a plan for me. He wouldn’t give me something that He knew I couldn’t handle. If something goes wrong, He is making way and planning for something bigger and better to come. Always have trust and never lose faith.
• Accept Change and Move On – This might be the hardest thing to do, but it is the most important thing to do. Typically you can’t undo change. You can wish all day long that it hadn’t happened, but that doesn’t change that it did happen. You can be angry, upset, happy, or uncertain of the situation that just happened, but that doesn’t change that it did happen. The only thing you can do is accept what was and what is and move forward. Progress is key. You may not be able to initially accept change. It may take time to grieve or process what happened. That is OK, but in the end, you must accept it and move on.
• How Much Can You Control? – This is a simple question to ask yourself when something changes. How much of this could you control? Usually, most of it is out of your control. You can’t stress the things you can’t control. If you stress the things you can’t control then you are going to be stressing way more than you should be. Like I said before, just let it happen and move forward. If it is something that you could in fact control, then learn from this and make a change so it doesn’t happen again.
• Be Grateful, Always – This is simple. Always be grateful. There are millions of things to be grateful for. Not every situation you face in life is ideal. There will be good days and there will be bad days; that’s a fact. But even on your worst days, there are many of things to be grateful for. Waking up each morning and living another day is reason enough to be grateful. Don’t let change, change who you are. Be bigger than the change you are faced with.