Every beginning is […]

Easy, pleasant, creative, productive. However, common sense will tell you that it’s difficult. This is the word that comes to mind first. Is it really so? It’s hard to find anyone who will say they haven’t struggled at the start of a new situation. Whether it’s the birth of a child, changing schools, changing jobs, being laid off, loss, or simply change. And it’s perfectly logical for change to involve difficulty.

According to neuroscience, the brain has the ability to adapt and change. However, this process can be influenced by many factors, such as emotions, motivations and stress.

How our brain works during change

Let’s start from the beginning. What really happens in our brain during the process of change? The process of change, whether behavioral, cognitive, or emotional, involves various mechanisms in the brain that interact to support the transition and adaptation to new situations.

One of the key mechanisms involved in change is neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize its neural connections. When we learn something new, adopt a new behavior, or experience a change, the brain creates and strengthens new connections between neurons.

But how does the nature of change affect the brain? When a person faces a change considered positive or rewarding, dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the brain’s reward circuit, is released. Dopamine strengthens the desire to continue this new behavior. On the other hand, a change that involves fear and anxiety activates the amygdala, the brain’s region involved in processing emotions. Negative emotional reactions can affect how a person perceives and responds to change.

Lastly, change can cause stress, which affects the secretion of cortisol. Cortisol, a stress hormone, can make adapting to change more difficult as it impacts the individual’s cognitive functions.

As it’s clear from the above, the brain is receptive to change. However, many factors determine the quality of change, and difficulty is an integral part of this process.

The Systemic Approach to Change

And if all this happens within our brain, then imagine how much more complex things are outside the brain—in the environment in which we experience change or in the relationships where we negotiate change.

In systemic psychology, a new beginning is equated with the process of restructuring and redefining the system, which includes individuals, relationships, and their interactions. As social beings and parts of a broader social system, we interact with an environment that is not always familiar, and this alone is enough to increase our anxiety and make change difficult. Consequently, change within a system requires restructuring the relationships and structures within it. For example, in family therapy, a new beginning might involve renegotiating roles and boundaries between family members. This can help integrate new members, such as in cases of reconciliation or adoption, or adapt to new situations, such as a divorce or loss. Therefore, restructuring is not an easy process.

As the system is called to adapt to a new beginning, it strives to achieve a new balance. Just as after every “earthquake,” the survivor will stumble over the debris several times before managing to regain balance, so this adaptation involves managing the imbalance caused by change and developing new strategies for problem-solving with the goal of ensuring coherence.

And let’s not forget that any change also means a change in the system’s identity. This new identity can emerge as a result of adapting to new conditions and includes reshaping the system’s values, goals, and traditions.

It’s evident, therefore, that in every change, in every new beginning, the individual is not only called to manage the visible change ahead but also all the other changes influenced or emerging from it. Consequently, a new beginning is not only about adapting to new conditions but also recognizing the interdependence of all parts of the system and the need for collective action and coordination for the successful completion of the change process.

One might say that familiarity and the known naturally attract us as they create a sense of security. That’s why we may resist change in order to protect the balance of the system we belong to. However, change is what allows us to evolve. And for this reason, resistance can be overcome through supporting the change. Positive feedback and involving the individual in the design of the change can help reduce resistance and lead to the acceptance of the new.

Summary: Difficulty is a Part of Change

In summary, difficulty is expected because it happens within our brain. Difficulty is expected because it happens within the environment in which we live. Difficulty is expected, and this is something that should not affect us negatively. On the contrary, difficulty is part of change, and we must “embrace” it in order to make a NEW BEGINNING.