Surfing through Change and Anxiety
Change often triggers fear of the unknown and a sense of helplessness, expressed as anxiety. Change disturbs the peace. In the realm of project management, change is a given. Projects both create change and are subject to changes that seem to make planning futile.
But project management – if done well and if you are self-aware enough to manage your emotions -reduces anxiety by dynamically making everyone aware of actions, outcomes, and the probability of success. Effective PM accepts and manages volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).
Cognitive Readiness
Cognitive readiness is a critical quality to enable surfing through change. It is the capacity to operate skillfully in any situation, particularly when faced with VUCA.
Cognitive readiness is critical because everything is changing, sometimes more and sometimes less quickly, unless we can calmly and competently respond to each change without reacting to emotions like disappointment and anxiety it can bring.
For more on cognitive readiness see my PM Times article, “PM for the Change Makers” https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/pm-for-the-changemakers/.
Multiple Levels of Change
On a global scale culture wars are on and have been since the dawn of time. Imagine how the traditionalists reacted when some smart aleck insisted that you can start your own fire.
For example, take gender fluidity. There are multiple perspectives on what happens in society when a person’s gender preferences mean no more than the color of their eyes. Not knowing how it will turn out creates anxiety. Worst-case stories create fear and anger. Resisting the change reactively is counterproductive.
In the realm of project work:
- Methods and cultures change. For example, as organizations turn from structured “waterfall” to Agile methodologies, or strengthen, weaken, or eliminate a PM Office.
- During a project’s life, change takes the form of late deliverables, staff turnover, changes in requirements, and more.
- Projects deliver products and services delivered to change organizations, the marketplace, the public arena, and individual experiences.
Breaking Norms
When a deep-seated norm is challenged by a change, there is anxiety and resistance. We see the same dynamic in organizations, families, teams, and personal relationships when security, long-held beliefs, and models are challenged.
Anxiety may be triggered by shifts from rigid procedures to agile and adaptive approaches and changes in management style. It may arise over behavioral issues, disruptions, changing attitudes about abortion, political beliefs, monogamy, gender identification, race, and more.
We feel anxiety if we are faced with life-changing choices that leave us feeling as if the ground has given way and we are in free fall, out of control.
The Impact
Feelings of anxiety may be subtle or acute. Self-awareness identifies feelings quickly before anxiety morphs into anger and despair, fueling physical symptoms and reactive behavior like aggression, withdrawal, and depression. Anxiety about being anxious makes it all worse. Managed well it becomes a wake-up signal.
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The Cause
Hypothesis: we resist change because we are threatened by anything that upsets our sense of reality or threatens our security. We seek assurance that things will be OK. We like the stability of solid ground under our feet, or at least having a reliable parachute. We like certainty and to be in control.
How to work with Anxiety
The best we can do when anxiety arises is to “be with” or accept what we are feeling and not let it drive behavior. Then we can do what we can to cut through to a calm presence.
Present and consciously aware, we can perform optimally in any conditions. We stop worrying about making deadlines and we figure out what best to do under the circumstances.
A method to change the way anxiety influences your ability to perform optimally uses feelings as triggers to:
- Focus attention to be mindfully self-aware
- Acknowledge what is happening – you may not want to keep it going but in the moment, it is what it is
- Accept discomfort – don’t run away from painful or annoying feelings of anxiety, anger, or disappointment
- Step back into a calm mindful presence being here, now.
- Cultivate a positive mindset with confidence that you will be OK; stop the scary negative “stories” you create
- Let go into Flow to allow your skills, intelligence, and experience to optimally work together to do what needs to be done, or not done.
The anxiety may not disappear, but it will become a short-term visitor rather than a persistent demonic ghost. While it is there, treat the symptoms using skillful methods like breathing techniques, bodywork, conceptual reminders like sayings or mantras, and/or, if appropriate, medication. As you work to address the symptoms, address the causes.
NOT for Everyone
Addressing the causes of anxiety is not for everyone. It is not easy. It requires confronting long-held habits and beliefs, including the strong need to avoid discomfort.
It is the path of a peaceful warrior, using an array of concepts, tools, and techniques to create a personal path. We learn acceptance to become comfortable with anything that comes our way and to let go into optimal action.
Next Steps
Address these questions:
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- What changes rock your world?
- What do you cling to or push away when you are anxious about change? Why?
- How self-aware are you? Do you recognize feelings as they arise or after you have reacted to them? Do you know why you are anxious?
- How does anxiety (or any emotion) feel in the body? Can you be calm and accepting in the face of physical and psychological discomfort?
- What frightening stories are you telling yourself?
- How confident are you that you can handle anything that comes?
- Are you ready to change your attitude?
Cultivate an attitude of confidence in your ability to handle anything, you can go beyond treating the symptoms of anxiety to cutting its roots. Weave a path that works for you using meditation, breath, and bodywork, with concepts like systems/process thinking and spirituality.
For a guidebook to developing the skills for managing anxiety and achieving optimal wellness, check out my recent book The Peaceful Warrior’s Path: Optimal Wellness through Self-Aware Living.