How Do You Handle Change?

[easysurfer]

What mindset do you use to deal with change?

That change is just a way of life, the only thing constant?

I just noticed plenty of changes going on for (all within a year. A bit exasperating). Let's see ...

1. Favorite musical act - band leader left
2. Favorite baseball team - cleaned house, traded their star players
3. Friend moved out of state
4. Favorite news program - the best anchor (in my opinion) left
5. Cell phone service - just got email, need to get a new phone, 3G soon no longer supported
6. Bank account - changing to new bank
7. Computer - Win 11 on the horizion

That's enough for now. I'm sure there is more if I think harder.

 

[Car-Guy]

If I have any control I "may or may not" allow it. Depends

If I have no control, which is often the case, I deal with it... Part of life. Rarely bothers me for very long in anycase. However, there are a few "things" that I will resist and fight against until I die.

 

[target2019]

There is nothing permanent except change.
Heraclitus

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

What mindset do you use to deal with change?

That change is just a way of life, the only thing constant?

I just noticed plenty of changes going on for (all within a year. A bit exasperating). Let's see ...

1. Favorite musical act - band leader left
2. Favorite baseball team - cleaned house, traded their star players
3. Friend moved out of state
4. Favorite news program - the best anchor (in my opinion) left
5. Cell phone service - just got email, need to get a new phone, 3G soon no longer supported
6. Bank account - changing to new bank
7. Computer - Win 11 on the horizion

That's enough for now. I'm sure there is more if I think harder.

Well, certainly not to minimize your change examples...but I sure as hell could think of some others that would much more difficult to deal with.

Personally, I tell myself that life is nothing but change. Very few things stay static and I always expect multiple "changes to the change." I am sure 20+ years in the Air Force probably taught me A LOT about how to deal with it.

Biggest thing I tell myself is plan for the worst and hope for the best.

 

[easysurfer]

Well, certainly not to minimize your change examples...but I sure as hell could think of some others that would much more difficult to deal with.

Personally, I tell myself that life is nothing but change. Very few things stay static and I always expect multiple "changes to the change." I am sure 20+ years in the Air Force probably taught me A LOT about how to deal with it.

Biggest thing I tell myself is plan for the worst and hope for the best.

No trouble. That having to change my cell phone email hit me hard today .

I'm unlike those who jump at the latest and greatest. I'm thinking, "Hope that isn't a big pain" .

 

[folivier]

If it makes sense and improves something that affects my life, then I'm usually ok with it. But if it's stupid and makes no logical sense, and costs more or reduces efficiency then NO. I won't accept it and cry like a baby when I have to.

 

[latexman]

A wise old supervisor once told me, “learn to flop with the mop, and you’ll come out on top.”

 

[disneysteve]

I don't go seeking it in most cases. I'm usually among the last to upgrade or update something if it is still working fine for me and meeting my needs. But when the time comes that I have to change, I do it and adapt pretty easily.


My job (urgent care physician) has been constant change the past year and a half. We were literally getting policy and practice updates on a daily basis early on as new information came out. It was stressful for sure, but I did whatever they told us to do and kept on going.

 

[MC Rider]

Roll with the punches.
Roll with the changes.
Keep on rolling.
Resistance is futile.

 

[aaronc879]

I'm a planner so I don't like change. I want things to be as I expect them to be.

 

[RobbieB]

Most changes are itsey - bitsey and cause not much concern.

Death is a little different, just knocks ya flat. Once you recover from that change, all the rest seem pretty easy.

 

[steelyman]

Death is a little different, just knocks ya flat. Once you recover from that change, all the rest seem pretty easy.

Count Dracula would be proud.

 

[RunningBum]

A ski friend tells a good story about me. At the start of a recent ski season, we went into the mid mountain cabin, which wasn't serving food yet but did have bathrooms open. They had changed the seating, into something that doesn't work nearly as well, IMO. As my friend tells it, I looked around, and said (in a grumpy, surly voice): "It's changed. I don't like change." and walked out. So I'm with you, but change can be handled, sometimes even with humor.

Some of those are out of one's control, so I just roll with them. Like the Cubs (or maybe another team) trading their stars. They weren't going to make the playoffs anyway, so I can hope the rebuilding makes them better in the next few years.

Others are in one's control, so I take charge of the change, rather than let it take charge of me. The phone, for example. You could've seen this coming, and pick a good time to upgrade in advance. Upgrade when you have some time before a trip or some other time where the phone isn't so critical and you have time to figure out things at home.

Windows 11 isn't even out, so this isn't a change that has hit you. Maybe they will EOL Windows 10 at the end of 2025, maybe not, depending on how the Win11 rollout goes. I won't upgrade in the first year that it's out. Once I hear that it's stable and not too bad to work with, I'll upgrade the next time I buy a new laptop. That way I've got my old one to fall back on as I figure out the new one. I'm in control of that change, as long as I don't put it off forever and then be forced to change when it's not a good time for me.

 

[travelover]

Coinstar

 

[razztazz]

I hate it and rail against it. For about 10 seconds. Then I ask: Ok, so, just how does this effect me and what do I need to do about it? I grew up with too man incompetent adults who were poor life-managers, so bitching and blaming the world as if that's going to fix things is something I cannot bring myself to do. Also, I controlled aeroplanes for many years. Planning was essential. Relying on those plans was pretty funny. You have to plan for every possible and impossible contingency. Then know what to do when all those plans fail.

 

[MC Rider]

You gotta turn and face the strange
ch ch ch changes.

 

[Graybeard]

Poorly.

 

[blueskyk]

I don’t mind some level of change and just sort of see rolling with stuff as an important life skill.

If something really irks me, I remind myself, “oh, it’s going to get much worse - eventually I’m going to die” and then it doesn’t seem such an annoyment.

 

[FlaGator]

Embrace it when it happens. If it ain't happening fast enough, hit it with a cattle prod

I know my view is not universal. The women who have been/are in my life resist it at every step. That encourages very dynamic relationship management

 

[2017ish]

At first reading, I thought, " throw it in a jar."

Then:
https://youtu.be/pl3vxEudif8

 

[RetireeRobert]

I am resistant to change, and reluctant to deal with it. But when push comes to shove, I buck up, and try to manage it to best effect.

 

[tb001]

I tend towards static and habit. Mostly out of an eye towards efficiency.

But it’s good to shake things up every once in a while. And I could make a strong argument that change is better for the brain than static. So I’m resistant, but I don’t think that resistance is good for me.

I can’t remember where, but I’ve read that ‘newness’ is part of the reason time is slower when you’re young. And sameness makes time slip by. So mixing things up and having lots of new experiences seems the way to go. But I still get gas at the same place every time. In fact, usually the same set of pumps.

 

[Scuba]

Depends on the type of change. Trying a new experience or travel destination - great, let’s go! Change involving major life decisions - consider carefully before I act, usually, with a few notable exceptions.

Sometimes in the last few years, I do feel like an old fogey. Examples - not liking rap music or being willing to try listening to it for a while to see if it grows on me, worrying about changes in the world or the US that I have little control over but sometimes feeling “we’re going to hell in a hand basket.” Then I remind myself that all generations likely felt this way as they aged and new ways of thinking, new types of music, food, etc. became popular.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Some changes are good. Some are bad.

Just keep going. While we can.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

What mindset do you use to deal with change?

That change is just a way of life, the only thing constant?

I just noticed plenty of changes going on for (all within a year. A bit exasperating). Let's see ...

1. Favorite musical act - band leader left
2. Favorite baseball team - cleaned house, traded their star players
3. Friend moved out of state
4. Favorite news program - the best anchor (in my opinion) left
5. Cell phone service - just got email, need to get a new phone, 3G soon no longer supported
6. Bank account - changing to new bank
7. Computer - Win 11 on the horizion

That's enough for now. I'm sure there is more if I think harder.

Accept what I cannot control/mitigate the impact to me. Some of your examples I don't consider change to me and I wouldn't cause me stress (# 1, 2, 4) that's just allowing things that don't directly impact my life and that I have no control over to cause me distress. #3 can certainly a big one, #5 shouldn't be but customer service in the telecoms is awful and often leads to a stressful series of events (see my thread about T-Mobile!). #6, more of an administrative headache, set aside time and get everything ready in advance (auto pays, etc) and ensure timing for the transfer/availability of funds. #7, will impact me but not a bother. Will be supported through at least 2025 and I think much longer due to lots of newer computers running it that won't be compatible with Win 11. They will at least need to support security updates till at least 2030 IMO to avoid PR disaster. My contingency plan if "forced" to buy a new computer is to buy a Mac.. I've always had an iPhone so being on one ecosystem would be nice and I trust Apple more than MS.


When I am stressed, exercise/getting outside is my go-to pick me up/de-stressors.