As much as we believe that people do not change and the same identity always remains in all of them, what is clear is that the world is constantly changing and moving. Therefore, learning to adapt to these constant transformations of our environment is fundamental to live well.

Knowing how to adapt to change is necessary not only at key moments in our lives, such as the start of university or the arrival of the first baby, but also in much more everyday situations, such as looking for a job, starting a conversation with someone we don’t know, or proposing a savings plan.

So, in this article we will see a series of tips on how to adapt to changes in both our personal and professional lives.

How to adapt to changes?

We must be clear that even if we do not realize it, the world is constantly testing us, and we must know how to act not only so that uncertainty and instability do not wear down our well-being, but also to take advantage of those opportunities that come with change.
In other words, adapting to the new that is coming is a necessity , but it is also a source of possibilities that allows those who analyse each situation well to improve their quality of life.

In the tips below we will see recommendations that cover both fronts: avoiding damage and recognizing opportunities.

1. Accept that nothing remains

The first step in knowing how to adapt to change is to understand that the transformation of reality is the rule, not the exception.

Even if we cannot see it directly, everything that seems consistent and stable over time, whatever it is (a tree, a company, a city, etc.) is in constant movement, and the appearance that it is always the same is just an illusion produced by small dynamics and balances that bring a certain order to chaos.

Countries rise and fall, seas expand and dry up, life forms flourish and die out… We should not take for granted that everything will remain the same no matter how much time passes, so the trick is not to try to keep everything the same, which is impossible, but to know how to ride the wave of change by making it go in our favour.

2. Adopting other people’s views

There are those who boast of always being faithful to their own ideas, but when this becomes moral rigidity and impossibility of empathy, their room for manoeuvre to adapt to changes is reduced .

That is why it is important to get used to listening to others and trying to understand their logic, even if we are not going to agree with them. Societies are always evolving contexts, and that is why we must let these changes guide our way of thinking; the best way to be permeable to these changes is to relate to others and put ourselves in their shoes.

3. Look at the new generations

It is very common for people to feel fed up with the younger generation, as if they are part of a separate world that we are unable to understand. However, anticipating changes implies paying attention to what they do , because the first signs that something new is coming appear in adolescents and post-adolescents.

These are warnings that the world is evolving, and these are phenomena that go far beyond fads; the use of new technologies, the adoption of new ways of thinking and communicating, etc. Of course, it is not necessary to share the enthusiasm of these young generations for what they do and distinguishes them from the rest, but it is important to understand why they act as they do and use the products they do .

This is one of the tips on how to adapt to change that is particularly useful in the field of work and business.

4. Always learn

Education goes far beyond school and university. Those who best adapt to change are those who anticipate it, and to achieve this you have to learn constantly, either through formal training or in a self-taught way.

It is currently possible to access an infinite number of books and Internet content to gain knowledge in any field of knowledge , so there is no excuse.

5. Develops Emotional Intelligence

Being exposed to changes implies having the capacity to manage the emotions that some of them produce and that may affect us due to the novelty and confusion they may produce at first .

Therefore, developing EQ skills is necessary to know how to recognize emotions and regulate them correctly without letting them leave us in a vulnerable position (even though we will never have total control over our moods).

Bibliographic references:

  • Goleman, D. (1996). Emotional intelligence (4th ed. edition). Barcelona: Kairos.
  • Eysenck, H. (1983). Structure and measurement of intelligence. Barcelona: Editorial Herder.