Change can be tough. It’s not always a graceful, enjoyable experience. Change can be painful and terrifying. When these events happen, it’s OK to be down about it. Just don’t stay down. Don’t be discouraged. Every form of change can be turned into a blessing if you know how to correctly harness the situation.

I learned this trick only recently. My childhood was unique in that I never experienced any big changes. My parents have worked for the same company all their professional lives, my brother and I attended the same grade schools, and we all lived in the same house for over 20 years. We were the mascots for creatures of habit. My childhood was predictable and textbook wonderful.

There is trade-off, though, for having such a consistent lifestyle as a child. I experienced an amplified shock when things drastically began to change for me as I entered early adulthood.

My freshman year of college, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. To be told I would be chronically ill for the rest of my life was a huge roadblock on the path I had planned out and expected for my future life. I panicked, questioning what was going to happen next. I became confused, angry, and above all, scared. I ran from change, mourning over the death of my once predictable life.

But I have learned something from all of this. Nothing in life is consistent except for change itself. Only recently have I stopped running from change. Instead, I decided I was going to make change work in my favor. And you can too. Whether you are experiencing drastic changes or unexpected events in your health, family life, career path or any aspect of your life know that this isn’t your endgame. Here’s why:

“This isn’t a setback; it’s a setup.”

Christian or not, everyone should give at least one of Joel Osteen’s sermons a listen. Though his advice is rooted in scripture, he promotes life lessons that are universally helpful. One of his favorite sayings, “This isn’t a setback; it’s a setup,” states that we shouldn’t view change as a roadblock but rather an arrow, pointing us, the travelers, in a new, superior direction to our goals. Don’t be discouraged by this unexpected event, be open to it. Your life journey just got more exciting.

The experience and knowledge you will gain from change is invaluable.

Big life changes make for big gains in life experience. I’m a firm believer that experience is the greatest teacher you’ll encounter. So let life happen. Let it change you. Where would we be if we didn’t emotionally and mentally grow as individuals?

It’s time for you to level up.

Don’t lose hope. You will emerge from this event stronger and wiser than you have ever been before. Life is about growing, and growing means there will be growing pains. Try to think of this as a video game. When times get tough, let that be a signal to you that you are about to advance to the next level. Your video game character just got that much harder to defeat. Score.

My diagnosis was not the end of my life. It was the beginning of a much more interesting one. More importantly, once I happily accepted the change, I grew more as a person than I had in my entire life. In fact, my high school self is unrecognizable. And that’s good. Hell, that’s great. That’s what life is all about. So stop running, because this big change is actually a big promotion. We can do this.