Professor's Cozy Cottage of Surprises

“Nothing is constant in life except change.” Maybe you’ve heard that? 100% true. If you’ve not had change yet in your life, you will. This is a double edged sword, so to speak. Growing up (or living many years) without change can be nice, serene, ideal. It is stabilizing, it creates a sense of peace, self hood, and can form basic ideas about life and the world at large. But when change ultimately comes, it’s a terrible shock. It “pulls the rug out from under you”. It can feel catastrophic, even if it is “minor”. Change is a known stressor. Most recover or adapt, find coping mechanisms… but some don’t.

What about having lots of change in life? Same rules apply, to some degree. Children who go through constant or frequent change in their lives often build resiliency, but can also live in “nothing is ever constant” state of mind. When there’s no place to call home or sink down deep roots, stability can seem weird, scary even. These individuals may find a need to cause change, create chaos without even knowing it.

So, what is resilience? Today’s conversational offering.

Bring in emotions – those often accompanying change include fear, anger, sadness, grief, betrayal… This is not an exclusive list. Also, there is no exact time frame for emotions, nor specific pattern.

What happens when something meaningful – say, a worldview – changes? How do you move forward? What do you take with you? Who do you bring with you, or let go of because your own growth might be hampered. Is the situation “all or nothing”? Many do jump straight to “all or nothing”. But is this healthy?