The Real Reason Why We are Afraid of Change
I’ve been trying to change many things about myself for the longest time. I wish I could be more disciplined, strong-willed, focused. I just wished I could change, but no progress seemed to last, so I did a lot of pondering and realized that I — most people, for that matter — am afraid of change. But why???
We are afraid of change and all it could mean
I know how “out there” this headline might seem. If you want change, why would you fear it? But I’m not implying here that you fear change itself, I’m saying you might unconsciously fear the real-life consequences of it.
Why? Because they are unpredictable. You might know what to expect if you change, but you don’t know how the people you know will react to it. That belongs to the realm of the unknown until everything has actually come about.
We fear the unknown
The unknown is a huge cause of fear among people. It’s what awaits us in the future. It could be anything: positive or negative. And when we get caught up trying to foresee the future and prepare for it, we get anxious.
However, when it comes to this topic, the fear of the unknown is only the second biggest fear at play here. What is the biggest fear then, you ask.
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Above all, we are afraid of change because we fear isolation
That might seem quite far-fetched, but it isn’t far from the truth. Think with me: what would happen if you were able to change yourself and your life in all ways you wished? Wouldn’t you turn into, on some level, a whole different person?
Could you be sure that the rest of your life would stay like it is? After all, you wouldn’t be the same girl your partner fell in love with or the same employee your company hired.
The reason why you can’t change or sustain change is that there is just too much holding you in place. And it is mostly about fear.
There is no shame in recognizing that. It’s human. Thanks to the pandemic, we all know the terrors of isolation and the importance or having people close to us, who care about us and are there to support us.
Now that you are aware of it, you can take steps towards change knowing that the people who care about you and your life getting better will stick around. Those who want you to stay the same don’t deserve to be around the best version of you 😉
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