Releasing Your Grasp: Navigating the Anxiety of Change
“Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life. Rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise” (St. Francis de Sales).
I thrive off routine. I love having a general outline of my day so I know what to expect. While routines can be helpful, however, dependence on them is not. When change happens, I want to be able to adapt to it with grace and serve the present moment without becoming anxious about deviations from my plan. When you struggle with anxiety and perfectionism (raising my hand!), the unknown can cause you to falter and throw off your mental rhythm.
Whether we’re facing big life changes or not, we’ve learned over the past two years of the pandemic that all we can control is our reaction to change. When your routine is thrown off, how can you learn to cope with it?
I’m getting married in just a few months, and I could not be happier! But, I do have some anxious thoughts about how I will cope with this momentous life change and how it will affect different areas of my life, including my work and daily routine. The reason change is so difficult is because we have to release our grip on what is familiar.
I find myself with seemingly conflicted emotions. I am overjoyed and longing for marriage while anxious about all the changes that will occur. Both emotions are valid; one does not take away from the other. When faced with change, many tend to hold onto the familiar. The desire for control becomes desperate, and our hands reach and grasp, not leaving room for the Lord to work.
If you thought this article would tell you how you can prepare for any changes you may be facing in your life, you were wrong. You can’t.
But God can. We can release our grasp, allowing our Father to work. He is the one to smooth our path.
“The way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level” (Isaiah 26:7). Just because a change is good does not mean it is easy. In fact, the most beautiful and worthy things in life do not come without suffering and hardship.
The best way to navigate change is to realize that you have to be patient with yourself and invite Jesus to help. With him, you can navigate anything.
Mary Grace Dostalik, born and raised a Texas girl, recently graduated from Benedictine College with a major in evangelization and catechesis. She is a dancer, a writer, and a wanna-be explorer. Mary Grace loves to spend her spare time choreographing dances, going on runs, practicing calligraphy, and searching for the best chai tea latte. She is doing her best to go wherever God calls her, whether it be Oklahoma, Kansas, Ireland, or back to Texas. Mary Grace is currently living her dream of serving the Church by working as the marketing and communications manager at a parish in Frisco, Texas.