It seems autumn is now upon us in the northern hemisphere. It is the season of cooling temperatures for many people, of tree leaves changing colors, and of cozy sweaters and roaring fires. Autumn is a season that is about change. Perhaps now might be a good time for you to make some changes in your life.

Ah, that word … “change.” How it evokes fear in the hearts and minds of many. We recently discussed the Four Ps of Change: permission, practice, patience and persistence. Perhaps on this first full day of fall, you might consider giving yourself permission to make some changes in your life. Perhaps the advent of fall might find you practicing making change, being patient with yourself as you do, and being persistent in your effort. For change—real, long lasting change—requires daily effort and daily commitment.

Change is such a frightening concept for so many people. We become accustomed to the way things are in our lives, even if we do not really enjoy those things. We sometimes become comfortably uncomfortable, such to the point that even making a small change seems daunting, overwhelming, nearly impossible. But change is a part of life. Just as the seasons change, so can we.

I recently have been working with several guests who are on the precipice of change. For them, the idea of making a change seems so uncomfortable, many would rather just maintain the status quo, even to the detriment of their own happiness and well-being. I encourage those folks, and anyone who is wanting to see a change in their lives to be the change they want to see. How does this work? We start by making small changes.

Every day, we make hundreds, if not thousands, of choices. We wake up and decide what, if anything, we want to eat or drink for breakfast and thus the day begins, as do our choices. We can decide to change by making different choices on a daily basis. We can decide to change from the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we drift off to sleep. We as humans have that power. It is okay to tap into that power. It is okay to give yourself permission to start making different choices, different decisions. Those different choices, those different decisions, add up over time and after a while, you will look back and see that you have, in fact, enacted change.

Can you give yourself permission (the first of the Four Ps of Change) to start making different choices throughout your day? Can you practice doing this such to the point that at the end of the day, you start to feel empowered by your choices because you have made choices that are more true to who you are and what your values are? I suspect that once you start making small changes in your decisions, you will begin to notice that your life is changing for the better, affecting your mood, outlook, and overall mental and physical health.

Change does not have to be scary. Change can feel empowering if we let it. Change can feel like freedom if we let it. It just starts with making small changes in our daily choices, be that what we choose to eat or drink to how we interact with other humans to how we talk to ourselves. Settling for a life that has become comfortably uncomfortable strips you of your power. It is okay to give yourself permission to make different decisions so that your life moves from comfortably uncomfortable to truly comfortable, one that leaves you feeling excited to live.

We as humans do not possess many super powers, but we do possess the power to enact change. We wield our power by making small changes in our daily decisions. When we do so time and again, we will notice changes in our mood, outlook, and overall mental and physical health. Is it time for you to embrace change? Can you give yourself permission to start making small changes that will add up over time? You have the power to do so. Own it.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LCSW, CADC, CCTP