Change
Change is inevitable at different stages of individual or organizational life. People and organizations transform depending on the prevailing circumstances, for better or worse. People grow up, move to different places, meet new people, and lose some of their loved ones along the way during their lifetime. Equally, healthcare and governments may experience new waves of technological advancement and innovations. Such factors make change unavoidable, necessitating everyone to learn how to embrace it. Individuals should understand that change may bring varying experiences as well as new opportunities in life.
Change as something Different from the Normal State
Change is a transformation from one State to another due to different occurrences. For instance, the use of gasoline-powered vehicles was for long considered the normal way of effective transportation. However, the emissions from vehicles contribute significantly to global warming, impacting the way people live. Agricultural productivity has been reduced due to inadequate rainfall, making people adopt alternative farming practices such as drip irrigation (Bouras et al., 2019). The transportation sector is moving towards using electric-powered vehicles to curb global warming. Equally, global epidemics force the world population and different healthcare organizations to modify their daily practices to be on the safer side. Such a change occurred after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic when people and organizations made wearing masks and regular hand sanitization a new way of life to prevent the spreading of highly infectious and lethal diseases. Most people find it challenging to accept change regardless of the type of latter.
Change is Hard to Accept
People resist change even when it is the most obvious thing in their life. A belief that one will lose something valuable and fear of uncertainty are key factors that make change hard to accept (Rehman et al., 2021). Individuals are used to a particular way and order of doing things as well as interacting with friends and families in normal states. However, when something happens, and a change becomes the only option to survive, people fear that they will lose their friends, jobs, favorite leisure time, and other important things. The uncertainty and fear of the unknown play a significant role in fueling resistance to change. For instance, people resisted measures to contain the spreading of COVID-19, such as wearing masks, sanitization, and working from home because they were unsure about the safety and retaining their jobs.
The Way COVID-19 Changed Healthcare
The Healthcare sector was among the most impacted industries by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The infectious disease changed the utilization and delivery of healthcare services and the development of local sources of supplies. According to Moynihan et al. (2021), the number of people seeking healthcare services, especially those with non-critical illnesses, decreased significantly due to fear that hospitals were a hotspot for contracting the disease. COVID-19 also accelerated the use of digital health, such as remote monitoring and telehealth, as the demand increased among care providers and patients.
Change Is Good
A change in life is good, even if most people do not embrace it. Change brings new and different opportunities that are vital to improving the quality of life (Sartori et al., 2018). For example, the change to work from home due to COVID-19 created a chance to have multiple remote jobs and extra time with children, siblings, and spouses. The change also allows individuals to move forward with their lives and encounter new and exciting experiences. Moreover, change helps people break their daily routines and think beyond to discover new things.
How I Can Use Change In My Life
I can use change as a tool for discovering a new way of life and enhancing its quality. I can use the new opportunities and challenges brought by a change to start a novel business venture and learn how to prepare and overcome difficulties associated with any type of alteration in life. New businesses increase earnings, helping to improve the quality of life. A change can also be instrumental in learning new ways of completing different tasks.
References
Bouras, E., Jarlan, L., Khabba, S., Er-Raki, S., Dezetter, A., Sghir, F., & Tramblay, Y. (2019). Assessing the impact of global climate changes on irrigated wheat yields and water requirements in a semi-arid environment of Morocco. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-14. Web.
Moynihan, R., Sanders, S., Michaleff, Z., Scott, A., Clark, J., To, E., Jones, M., Kitchener, E., Fox, M., Johansson, M., Lang, E., Duggan, A., Scott, I., & Albarqouni, L. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on utilization of healthcare services: A systematic review. BMJ Open, 11(3), 1-10. Web.
Rehman, N., Mahmood, A., Ibtasam, M., Murtaza, S., Iqbal, N., & Molnár, E. (2021). The psychology of resistance to change: The antidotal effect of organizational justice, support and leader-member exchange. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-5. Web.
Sartori, R., Costantini, A., Ceschi, A., & Tommasi, F. (2018). How do you manage change in organizations? Training, development, innovation, and their relationships. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(313), 1-11. Web.