5 Ways People Deal with Change or Conflict

Here are FIVE ways people typically deal with change or conflict…

· Remain a victim to it
· Avoid the change or conflict
· Change the situation
· Alter your perspective of the experience
·  Accept it

#1 – Remain a victim to it. When you choose to remain a victim, you feel you are suffering. You may feel a loss of control, powerlessness, and possibly anger.  When people feel as if they’re a victim, they feel stuck, and it’s hard to take action. What drives them to finally take action is when the discomfort of staying where they are becomes stronger than the discomfort of making a change.

#2 – Avoid the change or conflict.  You can make the choice of not getting involved in a situation that does not serve you. For example, if a person at work tends to gossip and put people down, you can remove yourself from that conversation before it starts.

#3 – Change the situation. This means doing something to move the change or conflict closer to a solution. If you had a misunderstanding with a coworker, instead of letting the misunderstanding fester, you can choose to have a conversation to clear it up. You are changing the situation.

#4 – Alter your perspective of the experience. Reframe how you’re thinking about the situation. Look at it from different angles. Become curious – how might other people see the situation? Ask questions. Doing this opens up new possibilities. By changing your energy around the situation, a solution may become clearer.

#5 - Accept it. You don’t see the situation as positive or negative, you simply see it as it is and move forward. Think of how often you worry about things that end up not being worth the time and energy. When you accept it, you are letting go of that judgment and can move on.

What tips do you have when facing a conflict or challenge?