Writing about the things that are close to my heart is so important to me. I want you to know that my most meaningful articles come from a personal place of ups, downs, high and lows. This particular blog has been a long time coming. As an extreme creature of habit and routine, I’ve had my fair share of tough times adapting to change post college, as a young working woman of the world and as a business owner. I’ll begin by stating the obvious:

• Change is inevitable
• Change can be hard to deal with and adjust to
• Change can occur in any area of our lives
• Change can have both positive and negative impacts on our lives

Now that we’ve established what change entails, let’s dig deeper on how we can embrace, love, anticipate and make change work for us. In my business, I recently lost one of my biggest and long-term clients. It was difficult and stressful and I had a panic attack for a solid 24 hours. I had to step back and realize what this particular change actually meant for my business and my personal development. Here’s what I have for you.

1. Get Buddha about it. We are capable of loving and caring on a level so deep we sometimes can’t even explain it. While this can be a beautiful thing, it’s important to learn to limit our attachment to things and situations that can afford it. Buddha preaches that our unhappiness stems from extreme attachment to people and material things. If you aren’t so strongly attached, you can’t feel so burned when it goes away. This may sound obvious, but keep this thought in the back of your mind, especially for situations and things that you know could very well be temporary.

2. Always expect change. It is INEVITABLE. Every single part of your life will be drastically different on some level or another over the coming years. The more you expect it, the less shocking it will be when it happens. Expecting change allows you to mentally prepare for it and possibly even get excited about it.

3. For some of us, change is hands down a good thing. Some examples include a new home, a promotion or a new addition to the family. Change as we also know, can be negative including things like foreclosure, job loss or a death in the family. Regardless of the change, we have to be strong and find the silver lining. The more you trust that everything will roll out as it should, the better your outcome will be. If you’re rolling your eyes at that, I challenge you to let go of stress and anxiety, and say out loud, “I trust in all that’s happening.” It’s a beautiful thing to place your trust in something larger than yourself. Trust that change always has a positive message or lesson to be learned. Change is always what you make it to be.

4. Talk about it. Having a hard time adjusting? Is change stressing you out? Write it down. Tell your best friend about it. It’s okay to communicate with yourself and those who support you about the changes that are taking place in your life. Utilize your support system; sometimes it takes other people to help you find that silver lining. I definitely used this step during my business changes and it helped me drastically.

5. Get moving! What are your next steps? Your future resides in your behaviors, your thoughts and your plan. If you don’t like the direction your change is going in, do something about it. Understand that you have complete control over your day and even the next. Empower yourself — it’s amazing what we are capable of.

I have to actively practice each of these things in order to remember and embrace them. It’s usually much easier said than done, especially if the change in our lives is negative or unexpected. I encourage you to welcome the next big change in your life. No matter how scary, stressful or unplanned it may be, open it with welcome arms.

Admit your fear and give yourself time to adjust. Here’s to a positive change and your ability to love it.

 

This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post