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Resistance to change
stretching your comfort zone can make others uncomfortable
You are making changes. Your changes may make the people with whom you are close feel uncomfortable. What if your morning routine included getting a cup of coffee, reading the paper, and having your spouse kiss
you and make you breakfast? Imagine that one morning your spouse pours their own coffee and reads the paper without giving you that kiss or offering to fix breakfast. Wow! What is going on here? Have they gone
crazy? Have they stopped loving you? Does this throw you for a loop? When we change, the people around us do notice it and may feel uncomfortable or even threatened. You have changed something that they are used to.
Their lives are affected by change and no one even asked them.
Change Back
They may be so uncomfortable that they do whatever they can to get you to change back. This "change back" phenomenon is common. When my daughter was four years old, she began whining whenever she wanted
something. I decided to tell her that I didn't like whining and when she could ask in a non-whiney way then she would get what she wanted. Well, in the past I'd always given in. That's what she expected. When I
didn't give in to whining, she became confused. For three days she switched into Olympic class whining. I held my ground. She eventually realized that I wasn't going to change back. I was serious about my change.
Presto! No more whining!
Expect Challenges
There will be challenges to your new attitudes and beliefs. When you don't see immediate results from your focus on the positive, it can be easy to fall back into old behavior patterns that were familiar and
comfortable. It’s also true that in times of stress, when our energy levels are low, it’s easier to revert to old and perhaps familiar ways of being. Don't torment yourself if this happens. Simply recognize what is
happening and resolve to change your course, be the new you. Nobody is perfect. Thank God for challenges and opportunities for growth.
Try this:
Tolerate change in others. Try and see things from their perspective and allow your spouse, friends, and children, and co-workers freedom to grow.
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