We are sharing a series of posts this week, taken from Chapter 11: Ride the Waves of Change in Onward, on how to deal with unwanted change. If you haven’t read yesterday’s post, start here to get an overview of learning to thrive in the midst of change. And grab your own copy of Onward here if you haven’t started reading it yet.
Today we discuss the principle of slowing down. Many people move too fast and do too much, which is a typical fear response. Yes, when the unexpected occurs, some people also hide under the covers of denial. Others attack. So this is the first rule when change happens: slow down so that you can think clearly and assess the situation. It’s unlikely that you need to take immediate action. Here is what you can do at this stage:
- Get real about your feelings. Notice them. Name them. Accept them. And spend a little bit of time exploring them, especially if you are having strong feelings.
- Give yourself 24-48 hours to think before you take action or make a decision. The following steps in this section will guide you through this process.