In addition to everyday business, companies have faced a magnitude of changes. Shutdowns, reductions in workforce, changes in product sets, changes in delivery, product and shipping delays, changes in daily work environment, the list can go on and on. There isn’t time to process one change before the other gets piled on top. So what happens? A workforce that is burnt out and disengaged. They have so many changes piled on top of each other that their mind is completely numb to all of it.
If you’ve ever been through large scale change, you know that there is a point of chaos where you are deep in the sludge. We call this the River of Misery. Where your mind has so many competing thoughts about the change that you aren’t even sure what your own opinion is. It’s a time of very low energy. No wonder people are opting out of their jobs as it’s easier to flee the river altogether than trying to keep your head above water due to the vast amount of change that you haven’t yet processed. We underestimate this emotional drain of not processing changes at work.
So what do I mean by not processing change? There is a difference between implementing the change and actually processing it. Implementing the change means that you stop one activity and start another. Processing it means that you’ve not only accepted that change is happening, you’ve accepted the chaos or mental ping-pong that comes with the process of change and then moved through that to commitment.
Instead, many people get stuck in unconscious resistance to change. This includes thoughts that are blatantly resistant, more subtle in nature such as procrastination or forgetfulness, as well as judgmental:
I can’t believe this is happening.
It shouldn’t be this way.
I don’t feel like doing that.
I liked it better before.
I’ll worry about it later.
They don’t even care about us.
This is never going to work.
So how do you lead yourself through all of this?
First, you want to open yourself to change. If you are feeling frustration, irritation and stress, you are closing yourself off to it. Opening yourself feels like acceptance and support. Explore what the change entails and how you can support yourself to live in this new world instead of wishing it away. When you start to hit roadblocks or your mind starts serving up competing thoughts that take you on an emotional rollercoaster, remember that change is chaos. It should feel uncomfortable or make you uneasy. Instead of avoiding those feelings or using them as evidence that this shouldn’t be happening, accept them as part of the journey and I sign that you are on the right path to living in this newly changed world.
Ask a lot of questions. Get deeply curious about the change, how it impacts you and those around you. Look for the opportunities. Your brain may automatically go to the challenges and obstacles, but consciously counter that with how this change can be great as well.
Get creative. If something doesn’t fit with the way you currently work, sit down and brainstorm new ways of doing things. Instead of looking at it from a lens of comparison, wipe the slate clean as to how you do things by asking yourself “What is the ideal state with this new reality?” and then “How can I create that?” Write down every possibility that comes to mind without judging the ability for it to work or not. If your mind starts getting into how things won’t work, take a few breaths and keep focusing it back on possibilities until you start to see a path forward.
Don’t underestimate the value of clearing the mental clutter. The burden we feel is not so much the external impact of change, but the internal impact of the mindless chatter about it. Take a moment each day to clear your brain of all the thoughts you have floating around. Don’t feel like you need to filter or judge them. Just take stock of what’s in your brain. This requires sitting down and either writing them out on a sheet of paper or typing them somewhere. Thinking about them more won’t accomplish the task. You need to get them out of your head and onto the page.
If you want, go back through the thoughts you noted and circle anything that is true. By true, I mean factual and could be proven in a court of law or that 100 people in a room would agree with. What you’ll find is that most, if not all, are assumptions or judgements. They are thoughts that your brain has created based on the way you view the world. The good news is that you get to choose whether you want to believe those thoughts or not. You can even play around with your brain by countering those thoughts. Simply finish the sentence “This is false because…” and seek out evidence of why it might not be true.
Finally, be willing to process the emotions that come with change. This means taking a moment to understand how we feel, labeling what the emotion is and how it shows up physically for us. This can be done in just a few minutes of deep breathing and clear focus inward.
Let’s face it, change is hard. We make it even harder on ourselves by not processing the change and wishing it away. It’s not intentional and most of the time our brain does it unconsciously. By bringing awareness to the present moment and consciously moving ourselves through the change, we can get to the other side much quicker so we aren’t overburdened by a constantly changing world at work.