Embracing Flexibility: Adapting When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Possessing the power of choice is a foundational mental tool that everyone comes to learn in early developmental stages. As we get older, the weight of choices that we are required to make tends to get heavier and making choices become more difficult. Of course, this varies by person and upbringing but for many some choices are simply much more difficult to make.

The seasonal job that I took in April was supposed to stretch from May thru October. When I decided to accept the position, I was in the best shape of my life. I was running, doing push-ups, dips, and pull ups. It has taken a year of consistent training to get in the shape that I in. When I arrived at the seasonal job, I was in for a ride. The job was in the Adirondack mountains and being ignorant about the mountains, I did not consider training on constant hills. Although I was shocked upon arrival, in terms of training, I was up for the challenge.

The first month of training was challenging but I saw rapid improvements in my running but then my sciatica flared up again. I quickly realized that running the hills were worsening my pain and I needed to stop. I substituted running with a daily four-mile trail walk but over time that became boring to me, especially because all I wanted to do was run. So, I made the tough decision of leaving the job and head back to my hometown to come up with a new plan.

This sudden change sparked a lot of anxiety because I left three months early, very unexpected. I had a plan for the end of the season, but I did not intend to start my new plan three months early. For a bit I was very overwhelmed, but I sat down to recenter myself and see what I can change and control in the meantime. So, I came up with things that I want to change and do before I make my next big move. It is quite uncomfortable, but I am reminding myself that I have time and that I am making progress daily. I heard a quote that said, “overthinking occurs when you don’t follow your intuition.” That really struck me to the core because I have a very strong intuition and I have come to learn when the Universe is guiding me. I run into problems with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed when something naturally comes to me through inspiration and I try to piece everything together all at once to force the outcome.

To alleviate any overthinking, I broke things down into three categories to work on, my training, my personal productivity, and my relocation process. I strive each day to complete one thing for each category which in turn will lead me to the bigger picture. Here are a few examples, for my training every morning I make sure that I run or walk daily. Because I have missed training so much, I also go to the gym in the afternoon. For my personal productivity, I make sure that I journal and write what I am grateful for each day. This allows me to maintain my awareness, remember my goals, and opens space for inspiration for my blogposts. For my relocation, every day I go to my storage unit and go through at least one box. Getting rid of everything that I own to start over made me feel very overwhelmed but starting out one box at a time with patience relieved so much self-induced pressure.

This process has allowed me to not stress about my days because I am accomplishing tasks daily while still doing the things that I love. I had to remind myself to remain patient and productive. The relief that I feel from acknowledging and accepting the need to take my time has been a mere blessing. I truly was driving myself crazy, feeling eager as if I was running out of time. Now, I am still working to improve myself as well as my situation. Although it is an adjustment being back in my hometown and it has its challenges, I am reminding myself that this season is only temporary and enduring it is simply building my endurance and resilience. Change can be tough, making hard decisions can be draining but they build character that is needed to be prepared for the next season. One thing that I have come to appreciate about challenging times is that I much rather go through the storm to be prepared for the next season versus breezing and rushing through the current season ill-prepared heading right into a storm in the next season. Choose your hard.

Sometimes plans change and we may not understand why but everything happens for a reason. If this resonated with you, feel free to contact me at hello@TheBriannaAmanda.com