Fuck Comfort, Embrace Change

Spring doesn’t play it safe. Neither should you.

Photo by Rick L on Unsplash

Spring doesn’t ask for permission. It erupts. It forces change. One day, the landscape is muted, dominated by browns and greys; the next, a vibrant explosion of colour as life bursts forth.

This rapid transformation isn’t just a visual spectacle—it’s a powerful metaphor for the changes I experience in my life as I wobble back into the sunlight after a long winter of hibernation in front of the telly. Spring lands with an assault to my senses: the scent of hope wafting through the air, the joyful sounds of life bursting into existence, and the stale taste of winter melting away into something fresher and more effervescent.

Spring’s sudden transformation mirrors the upheavals we all face—new jobs, breakups, unexpected challenges, or the quiet but seismic shifts of personal growth. And yet, such change, while exhilarating, can also feel unsettling and uncertain, dragging us from our comfort zones and stirring anxiety. For me, a new season always seems to trigger this side of me. The sheer uncertainty of it ushers in a stream of endless possibilities, and I start imagining the many ways those possibilities might not work out in my favour.

I see the same struggle reflected in my clients' faces. The exhilaration comes from the potential for new beginnings, fresh perspectives, and exciting growth. However, for many, it is the precarity of traversing this new ground—the sheer unknowingness of where one’s next footstep will fall—that catalyses anxiety, resistance, and a clinging to the familiar, even when that familiar no longer serves them.

But here’s the thing: when we fight change, we stagnate. We cling to the comfort of the known, even when it’s suffocating us. But when we lean into uncertainty, we grow. We transform. We bloom.

Instead of resisting the current of change, I have discovered ways to work with the flow, much like a river adapts its course around obstacles. This is where the principles of Gestalt therapy can offer valuable support:

• Embrace the present moment: We’re starting off with the big one. Spring is coming whether we like it or not, and we have to accept what we can’t change. You can do this by keeping your focus on what you can control. Concentrate on your own responses and actions in the right now rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Spring doesn’t hesitate—it steps boldly into the new season, no matter the risk. So, will you fight the shift? Or will you open yourself, like the first bloom, to all that’s possible?

• Acknowledge the full spectrum of emotions: Allow yourself to feel both the joy of new possibilities and the fear of the unknown without suppressing either. I always think of spring as a season of contradictions—warm days followed by sudden chills, blossoms thriving one day and wilting the next.

  
  

  It reminds me of when I moved from London to Bristol for a job a few years ago. I was full of excitement but also uncertainty. At first, every street felt unfamiliar, every choice overwhelming. But as the days passed, I found my rhythm—the exhilaration of discovery, the comfort of small routines, the realization that change, like spring, unfolds in its own time. I learned to embrace both the thrill of possibility and the unease of the unknown, knowing that growth happens in the space between.

• Identify your resistances: Recognise how you resist change. Are you a procrastinator? You might be waiting for your current circumstances to bring you comfort that can only be found in the courage to move on. Do you feel hesitant to acknowledge when something isn’t working? This might be a sign of denial. Do you do the same thing over and over, hoping it will make you happy like it once did? You may be clinging to old patterns. When you recognise that resistance, you can start to understand why it’s not serving you anymore.

  
  

  Start your transformation by resisting that resistance. Change is inevitable; you can make things harder by fighting it or go with the flow and see where a new chapter can take you. Ironically, going with the flow can be the more difficult decision, but it can often be the healthier one.

• Cultivate an ‘uncertainty mindset’: Does your car ever make a weird sound? Is your response to said sound to turn up the radio and drown it out instead of getting it checked? If this sounds like you, you may be approaching uncertain situations with avoidance—essentially not approaching them at all. Instead, build the courage to face the unknown head-on.

  
  

  Start small: check on your car before you get stranded on the side of the road, please. Maintenance is a part of change. If something is old, broken, or dysfunctional, you may need to fix it or replace it with something new. The same goes for your mindset, relationships, work, and environment. You’ll only be better for making changes, and your future self will thank you for not leaving them in a sticky situation.

Like Spring itself, life’s changes can be messy, unpredictable, and sometimes downright uncomfortable. But just as the chaos of shifting seasons gives way to new growth, so too can our own periods of uncertainty. Trust that even in the storms, something is quietly blooming.

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