Change is inevitable, yet it’s also something that we tend to resist. Even when a change is beneficial, it can be hard to take the steps to implement it. The reasons that positive change is rejected are many and can be complex, but identifying what’s behind the hesitation can be an important first step. Below are several of the common reasons you might find it difficult to start doing things differently.
The Sunk Costs Fallacy
This is one of the most common reasons that people reject change. In the sunk cost fallacy, you can’t bring yourself to try to do something different because you’ve been in the same situation for so long that you feel any kind of shift might force you to acknowledge you were on the wrong path. Maybe you’ve been at a job for ten years that you dislike. You keep telling yourself that it’s going to get better, when your boss retires, maybe, or when your department gets some new processes in place. Even knowing the ways a therapist can help you manage anxiety might feel too uncomfortable to deal with simply because it’s a huge change.
When you think about trying to find a new job, you imagine throwing away all the years that you’ve put in at this one even though you don’t value those years. Those years are the sunk cost, and this tendency is an example of your mind trying to protect you from facing up to the fact that your time may have been wasted. The problem is that the sunk cost fallacy keeps you on the same path. There’s nothing wrong with making a mistake, and the time probably wasn’t all wasted. Never let fear of looking on your efforts as misguided or a failure stop you from making positive changes.
Difficulty with Acceptance
Another reason to resist something new is that it can highlight a reality that you’re struggling to accept. If your child has moved out of the house and you’re finding the empty nest syndrome difficult, you might not want to turn their room into a home office even though you need the space because it forces you to face up to the fact that your family life will never quite be the same. If you’re struggling with the idea that you or a family member has developed mobility issues, you might hesitate to make changes throughout the house that would make getting around easier.
A good way to combat this is by reminding yourself about the positive elements of the change. Getting excited about home office design or looking at engaging material introducing Lifton domestic lifts and the advantages they can bring to your household may shift your focus so that you’re looking forward to the change rather than associating it with something you’re feeling sensitive about.
Loss of Control
When things are changing around you, you can feel like you’re losing control. It’s human nature to resist this feeling. Sometimes, this pushback is positive, resisting the efforts of another person to control your decision is a good thing. Yet it’s also important to recognize that no one can control everything in life, and some things are simply out of your hands. See if you can find ways to relinquish control and things to embrace about the change even if it’s not necessarily what you would have chosen.
