Understanding Stress Associated with Change

The fact that change impacts everyone at one time or another does not mean that most people are comfortable or prepared to deal with it when it occurs. In the modern world, change – both professionally and personally -- seems to occur with an increasing rate of frequency. Many times, people don't feel like they've been able to adjust to one change before yet another one comes along. This often causes feelings of being out of control and overwhelmed, which leads to stress.

To cope with the stress associated with change more effectively, it's important to understand that you do have control over how you allow change to affect you. One of the reasons that change is often viewed as a stressor is that people tend to view it negatively. People have a tendency to prefer stability and security. However, individuals don't often perform their best in the absence of change. There's a very real tendency to become complacent when things stay the same for an extended period of time.

Change can be quite positive. Many times, change leads to improved outcomes and better decisions