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Change often feels hard, and many people have a complicated relationship with it.

Past experiences, expectations, and a pull toward what’s familiar all influence how we approach change.

Lasting change starts with self-awareness about our patterns, beliefs, and behaviours.

Change is hard. It’s meant to be hard. It’s meant to be disruptive. Thankfully, we can do hard things.

For many of us, it can be worth pausing to reflect on our relationship with change, especially because it’s often a complicated one.

As humans, there’s often this tension that exists. We crave newness, growth, and possibility, and at the same time, we want familiarity, predictability, and safety. This tends to create an internal conflict where part of us wants to evolve while part of us wants to stay exactly where we are, as we are. This dichotomy is part of what makes change so hard.

Sometimes, we even hold on to situations, habits, and patterns that no longer serve us simply because they are familiar. Yet, the reality is that staying within the bounds of what is comfortable doesn’t allow us to reach our full potential.

So when we sense deep down that something needs to shift, or someone suggests we do something differently, it can bring up a lot of feelings. We may even notice resistance, because it challenges what is known and safe.

Why Change Feels So Hard

Understanding why change is hard and getting curious about our own personal relationship with it is a helpful first step toward........

© Psychology Today