Time for a Change

Hi there!

Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss a variety of matters related to mental health and self-improvement.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Today, we’ll be discussing: CHANGE! YAY!

This past week, the weather in Minnesota has become noticeably different.

The days are shorter, the weather is cooler, and—suddenly!—autumn is in the air.

As I was driving to Trader Joe’s this evening (amen!), I caught myself feeling sad...

This past summer was busy for me, and, in hindsight, I was often too distracted to really enjoy the warmer months.

It left me pining this evening for more time, but, unfortunately, I know better from my work as a therapist than to hang on to something when it’s already time to let go.

Change comes whether we are ready for it or not, so it’s best not to fight the inevitable…

Today’s post is about change, because lots of people like to say that they are ‘bad with change.’

But this is not actually the case.

Nobody complains about getting a raise at work—because that’s a good change.

Rather, it’s the hard or unwanted changes that tend to give change a bad rap.

But change is not just something that we have to accept and embrace—or else!

In fact, inviting change into our lives can be significantly skillful when we look at it with a more balanced eye.

For example, in therapy, one of the ways that we teach people how to improve their mood is to—quite literally—engage in more pleasant events (for a change!).

This might sound like an obvious fix, but many times, we don’t take the time to make this very important step.

Instead of choosing to go the ‘scenic route,’ we take the path of least resistance in life…

Conversely, by making small, pleasant improvements to our daily routine, we can harness the benefits of change in a big way—especially as these changes begin to compound on top of one another.

To state things another way—change is not our enemy.

Change teaches us important lessons, and it can also improve our quality of life when we prioritize folding more pleasant events into our daily experience.

So, I encourage you to find small ways to invite change into your life this upcoming week.

Take a different route for your daily walk (ideally someplace you’ve been wanting to go but haven’t made time for), or prepare your coffee differently.

Or, mix things up and go on a weeknight date with your partner.

It’s possible to get ‘good with change’ when we approach it with a different mindset.

Unwanted change is inevitable, but finding more opportunities to change things to our benefit is one of the ways that we can start to practice true, lasting self-care.

To conclude, as the summer nears its end, I plan to spend as much time as I can outside to enjoy the final days of warmer weather, while also mentally preparing myself for the arrival of fall.

Just for good measure, I also practiced a ‘pleasant event,’ and bought a Pumpkin & Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie mix at Trader Joe’s, to help remind myself that change is not always a bad thing… :)

All seasons of life have something of value to offer us.

Take the time to enjoy whatever season you’re in right now to the best of your ability, by introducing more pleasant events into your daily routine.

Image credit: MJ Gravois