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For Those of You Who Hate Change as Much as I Do… 

For as long as I can remember, change is not something I have ever enjoyed. Whether it was my parents moving furniture around in the living room or having my whole class schedule switched around three weeks into a new year of high school. I am one of those people who just enjoys things the way they are. The ability to “go with the flow” is not one of my strong suits. I am almost positive that adaptability is at the very bottom of my StrengthsFinder list. With my aversion to change and lack of adaptability, you may be wondering why I chose to go into this crazy world of student affairs, and on top of that, move halfway across the country to learn how to do it. To be completely honest, I still struggle with that every single day.

Moving to Texas and starting grad school at Baylor was the biggest change I had ever personally brought upon myself. I intentionally chose to move out of a community that I was comfortable in, surrounded by people who I knew love and cared about me. I left to come to a place where I knew no one, that was full of new things I had never experienced before, and has crazy roads that I am STILL attempting to figure out how to drive on. But with all of this change, I found there are three things that keep me sane on a daily basis.

1. Find your solid ground. When dealing with a lot of change, it can start to feel like there is nothing sturdy for you to grab onto. That is why it was so important for me to find a solid ground amongst all of the turbulence around me. This can be a great group of friends, a church community, a supportive supervisor, or a little coffee shop that you can go for some peaceful, alone time. Whatever it is, find a little piece of your life that makes you feel even remotely comfortable. I have been lucky enough to find a great group of friends who are helpful, supportive, caring, and willing to listen. Without these individuals I would not have been able to successfully make it through these first few months in Texas.

2. Don’t lose your roots. I am forever tied to my family, friends, and undergraduate institution. Before coming to Baylor I thought I was going to have to lose part of myself in order to fit in and be happy here. After spending some time here, I realized that I would not be successful if I tried to lose who I was. Constantly having to change and adjust made me recognize how important it was to keep the ties that are most important to me. I talk to my mom, my old supervisors, and friends from home on a regular basis. Not only do those conversations allow me to talk to people I love, they remind me where I came from and why I chose to come here in the first place. When I’m anxious or frustrated with something happening in school or at work, talking to someone from back home who really knows me reminds me that I am strong and capable, and that the changes in my life will not define my success.

3. Reframe changes into challenges. Just thinking about the word “change” gives me loads of anxiety. However, I have always thrived under pressure and wanted to be challenged. Because of this, I have attempted to reframe how I think about change, and instead think of it as a challenge. Whether the change that is happening in my life is intentional or unintentional, I have learned that I always have something to learn and grow from. For example, the supervisor that I started this year with recently retired. At first I was stressed about all of the change that was going to occur in a job that I was still trying to figure out. After taking a step back and looking at the situation, I have realized how I can use this experience to grow and become a better professional and a better person. Thinking of changes as challenges makes them easier to tackle and easier to handle. For me, challenge is more positive.

I know not everyone is like me, some people welcome change with open arms. But I think these three tips work for anyone who is coming to a new place or starting a new journey. Grad school is a crazy time, but we all know we will come out better on the other side.