How to Move Through Change Using Your Creative Power

Change can be intentional — like jumping on a great opportunity or choosing a new career direction after lots of planning.

At other times change can can come out of nowhere.

You learn your apartment is converting to a condo and you have 60 days to move. Your company has a re-org and your position disappears. You planned a much-needed vacation and a major storm shuts down airports.

Whatever the change, it nearly always introduces discomfort.

It calls on us to be resourceful and resilient.

And whether the change ends quickly, or we live through a long period of adjusting to a new reality, it can take a toll.

The reality of navigating change  

Emotions can feel intense in times of change. Decisions need to be made. Your routine may be disrupted.

And whether you feel excited, fearful, angry, confused, resentful, or some combination, it’s easy for overwhelm to set in.

Having just completed a move that entailed a lot of downsizing on a tighter timeframe than we’d hoped, I experienced lots of emotions, decision fatigue was real, and it was physically demanding.

I was fortunate and grateful to have a resource that made it all easier to move through than it might have been.

Creative Power eases the experience  

I leaned into my Creative Power in ways that I’d been unaware I could during past times of change.

This is what it looked like for me, that may help you, too.

1. Slow down to get more done

Even when the pressure was on, I deliberately paused to consider my best options and the most productive possibilities for next steps, rather than plowing ahead. That way of thinking like a creator helped me to find solutions and resources I’d have missed if I was in perpetual motion. 

2. Self-care is crucial

When the pressure is on, it’s easy to skimp on eating well, getting enough sleep, and creating moments for things that bring joy. It’s also easy to question yourself and your ability to cope.

One key to tapping your Creative Power is loving yourself. And in times of change that entails a combination of exquisite self-care, believing in yourself, and fueling your spirit.

Even with no time to cook, I brought in food that allowed us to eat healthy meals. On several nice days we walked to a nearby cafe for an afternoon break. I stuck with most of my regular Friday visits to the gym, and aimed to get to bed early. A winding down ritual supported sound sleep.

All of that produced energy I was grateful to have!

3. Trust yourself  — and ask for help!

When you think like a creator and take the time to reflect and care for yourself, you can more fully trust yourself to make your best decisions, to set a path toward good outcomes, and have ample energy to move through a time of change.

And, when you add in outreach for people and resources to augment what you can do yourself, you will benefit enormously.

In my move, help came in the form of finding non-profits who came to pick up donations, and bringing in extra people to help with physical and time-intensive tasks. It also meant reaching out to others for advice.

Great creators know they do not have all the answers, and do not need to do it all themselves.

A last key ingredient that builds Creative Power

At each step along your path through change, include a moment in your day to be grateful.

Your gratitude can be for yourself — for the energy, effort and creativity you’ve brought to the process.

It can be for others who help with ideas, physical tasks, moral support, and love.

It can be for chance moments of surprise, joy, delight and beauty.

It can be for your appreciation of what’s good, what’s going well, the kindness of others, the article you came across that had pertinent information, and more.

Taking the time to recall all you have for which to be grateful will fortify you and ease your path through the change.

If you are moving through change, are planning for change, or anticipate it, and want an ear, we can have a quick call.

Find a day and time here.

With love,