Responding To Change With Learning, Decision Making, and Self-Care👀

Responding To Change With Learning, Decision Making, and Self-Care👀

Fall is a time of year when changes are part of life’s human and ecological landscape. Nature’s trees transform their leaves into an array of color as they fall to the ground. Flowers fade. Many of us enjoy outdoor walks or simply watching autumn changes from the comfort of our windows. For those of us on an academic calendar, there are adjustments to new grade levels, classes, and expectations. And, of course, everyone is confronted by changes and transitions at each age and stage of our lives.

Are you motivated by change or do you resist it?

Sometimes change is imposed by our environment or our circumstances – work, family, health issues, economic or social changes. At other times the call for change comes from inside ourselves – a need to leave a job or life situation, a new developmental stage, dissatisfaction with the way we’ve been engaging with life. Many of us struggle with change and how to respond.

Carol Dweck, PhD, a renowned expert on motivational psychology, researches the factors that can help us deal with change more effectively. According to Dr. Dweck, “the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life …. the growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts” (2006).

Aspiring to view change through a growth mindset, can help us choose to learn and evolve as we answer the calls of our busy, complex lives. With a growth mindset lens, change offers opportunities to explore greater meaning and fulfillment as we respond to our inner callings along with the demands of the situations in which we find ourselves.

Here are  two processes that may help you empower yourself to explore options and opportunities as you respond to life’s transitions and changes.

Process #1: Drawing on concepts from the science of positive psychology, mindfulness, and neuroscience, this 5-step personal discernment process can assist you to co-exist with change as you consider your direction and your next steps (Berns-Zare, 2020; 2023).

Step 1 — Pause: Offer yourself a brief time out. Mindfully notice that you’re breathing – or if it’s more comfortable you might invite yourself to be present by focusing on something else like your hands or feet, a sound in your environment, or a neutral center of attention.

Step 2 — Listen: Pay attention to your inner knowings – the still small voice that guides you.  Listen to messages from your mind, body, and spirit.

Step 3 – Reflect: Notice and label your feelings and reactions to the situation.

Step 4 — Discern: Ask yourself, where do you feel called as you consider the situation? Sift through your awareness and intuitive wisdom along with realities, possibilities, and choices.  What additional information and resources do you need?

Step 5 — Act:  What direction do you want to go toward? What’s the next right thing? Mindfully choose your next steps.

Process #2: As you determine what actions to take, this 7-stage model for decision-making may be useful (UMass/Dartmouth, 2022).

1. Name the situation. What is your decision actually about?
2. Gather relevant information and resources – internal and external.
3. Identify potential paths and alternatives. Brainstorming can open possibilities.
4. Analyze and weigh the alternatives considering the positives and negatives of each.
5. Choose among the alternatives to select one with a higher potential to help you reach your goal or deal with the situation.
6. As you are ready, take action by beginning to implement the choice you made.
7. Evaluate the process and outcomes. Review the results of your decision and any next steps.

When changes and transitions come your way (as they inevitably do), will you view yourself as a work in progress or stuck in the mud of life? Each day, you have the freedom to empower yourself, making choices about how you engage with your life, work, communities, and world. 

Wherever you find yourself on life’s path, you have the potential to continue to grow and change. What’s in your toolbox of life skills to empower you in ways that serve your needs and values, along with the demands of the circumstances?

Cultivating a growth mindset in response to life’s changes and challenges can create a positive shift, helping you get motivated and wake up to options and opportunities you may never have considered.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No content is a substitute for consulting with a qualified mental health or healthcare professional.

© 2025 Ilene Berns-Zare, LLC, All Rights Reserved

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References:

• Berns-Zare, I. (2023). Do you welcome growth or resist change? A process to figure out your options and improve your decision making.
  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/flourish-and-thrive/202306/do- you-welcome-growth-or-resist-change
• Berns-Zare, I. (2020). 5 keys to begin a positive shift in your life: Stop looking out there for your answers.
  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/flourish-and-thrive/202011/5-keys-begin-positive-shift-in-your-life
• Dweck C. (2014, December 17). Carol Dweck: The power of believing that you can improve (video file).
  https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?
• Dweck, C. (2016). What having a “growth mindset” actually means, Harvard Business Review, Retrieved from
  https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means
• U Mass/Dartmouth (2022). Decision-making process: 7 steps to effective decision making
  https://www.umassd.edu/media/umassdartmouth/fycm/decision_making_process.pdf

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