Change is a concept that scares me. It makes me feel powerless. 

The entirety of my junior year has been teetering on the word “uncertainty,” and I feel like I have no sense of stability.

The slightest adjustment to something I’ve become accustomed to is enough to throw me off for an entire week. As often as change occurs, you would think that by now I would easily recognize and come to terms with it. However, change and I haven’t always been on the best terms. For example, my senior year of high school is approaching and everything seems to be moving too fast.  

We all play a certain role in our lives. We’re all in control of certain things such as who we surround ourselves with. There’s a sense of control that a person maintains when all is familiar. Change is when I lose control. The bigger the change, the more powerless I feel. 

I fear the unknown. 

I develop a fixation on the things I hold the most power over. From morning routines I practice daily to my behavioral habits. I know what feels right for me. Change is something that breaks these patterns in my life that I have established. 

However, I’ve recently admitted that change is necessary for me to grow, no matter how uncomfortable it makes me feel.

I have a routine, one that’s become my body’s habit. 

Abruptly and rudely be awaken by my alarm that I will snooze at least twice. Head to the bathroom where my toothbrush greets me from it’s same ceramic cup. Make myself a bagel and hug my mom goodbye. However simple this routine may seem, it’s comfortable and one that I am well acquainted with.

Unfortunately, everything is subject to change. On a larger scale, Covid-19 swept away the large majority of my high school experience. Every morning, waking up prompts the question “What’s going to be new today?” I feel as though I’m worrying more over losing my everyday routine to a new mandate or another school closure. 

This fear of change for me is really a fear of what I don’t know. I fear what’s not constant and a routine provides a safety blanket of always knowing what’s going to happen next. But just as my routine is constant, change itself occurs constantl too. 

I’ve acknowledged this and now approach change differently. Change is vital for growth. I ask myself “how can I become a better version of myself?” and I immediately think of change. 

Although change holds a power higher than any of us understand, we tend to dismiss our confusion or hatred when change may occur. Feeling stress or discomfort when change occurs is valid. However, we should never dismiss change itself. 

Although I dislike change, I must understand what it is for. Ignoring the purpose of change is worse than any possibility it may bring you. Change allows for new surroundings, different ways of thinking, and overall the ability for you to face new opportunities. 

We make up our minds and assume the outcome of many things based on what we already know, or think we know. These familiarities or routines we settle ourselves into mold us into unteachable humans and obstruct who we could be. 

Becoming familiar with uncertainty has made me more comfortable in general. I have the competence to handle the unpredictability of life. I have let go of thinking about how good I could have something and found comfortability in understanding not everything can be in my control. Change can only make you better. Change has a purpose in all of our lives. 

Change’s appearance isn’t always a bad thing. You can still feel in control by acknowledging what’s new and tackling it with an open mindset. 

When you may be experiencing anxiety or sadness surrounding change, understand that change is necessary when moving forward on whatever path we’re on. Change allows us to grow and to become teachable people. 

Overcoming change may challenge us, but that is why it makes us more powerful.