Are You Navigating Change or Just Surviving It?

Some changes are exciting. But when every week brings a new strategy, system, or policy update, excitement quickly turns into exhaustion. By the time you have just about figured out one change, another pops up in your inbox. Ever felt that way? 

The good news is, there are skills that make change feel very different.

Many people feel as if they should be immune to change by now. After all, it has become a constant feature of working life. Yet the reality is different. People are not resistant to change, they are simply exhausted by the ever-increasing number of changes they are expected to know, implement and embed.  The result is not just fatigue, but a sense of never quite catching up.

If change is such a constant, why does it still feel so hard?

Why Change Feels So Hard

As leadership expert John Kotter observed,

“Most people don’t embrace change, they resist it.”

Resistance often is not about attitude. It is about capacity. When change is constant, people get fatigued. Energy drains away. Priorities shift faster than we can adapt. And when one change stacks on top of another, even small adjustments can feel overwhelming.

Think about the last year. New tools arrive before the old ones have bedded in. Policy updates pop up just as you have mastered the previous version. Hybrid meetings create more work instead of less. A new platform launches with little training. Suddenly AI becomes the focus, but no one agrees on how to use it. And just when you start to find a rhythm, new reporting requirements or compliance rules arrive to reset the clock. Even when changes are small, they take a mental toll because there are so many of them.

The truth is this: struggling with change has little to do with intelligence or willingness. It has everything to do with skills, skills most of us were never taught.

What if navigating change was treated as a professional skill you could learn and get better at?

Change Is Not Natural Talent, It Is a Learned Skill

Some people seem naturally good at change. They stay calm, keep perspective, and adapt quickly. But adaptability is not a gift. It’s a key professional skill anyone can learn.

And when you learn the skills to navigate change, the exhaustion lifts. Change stops feeling like one more fire drill and starts feeling manageable.

Meet Alex

When Alex’s company announced a major launch, they felt worn out before it even began. They were still grappling with the last “new way of working,” and now another wave was crashing in. Messages filled their inbox but gave no clarity, and no amount of cupcakes from the launch event could restore their energy.

The stress showed up in small ways. Alex found it hard to focus, deadlines slipped, and their usual confidence in meetings faded. They stayed quiet and soldiered on, hoping it would all settle down soon. Instead, the uncertainty grew heavier. The longer they waited, the more powerless and exhausted they felt.

Pause a moment and reflect: 
How do you usually respond when change lands in your inbox? Do you push ahead blindly, or feel that wave of fatigue?

From Exhaustion to Possibility

This time, Alex approached change differently. Instead of sitting silently and nodding along in meetings, they spoke up:

“Can we map out how this launch changes our priorities in the next quarter? I want to be clear on what to pause so we can give this the focus it needs.”

Their manager was relieved someone had asked. Together, they clarified where effort should shift, and Alex left the meeting with a sense of direction instead of more questions.

They continued to make small, steady adjustments rather than waiting for perfect clarity. Bit by bit, the pressure eased. Alex noticed they had more energy, fewer late nights, and a stronger sense of control. Their manager began to see them as someone who could be trusted to bring clarity when others felt stuck. Alex also realised that their growing confidence in asking questions was changing how others saw them — not just as someone coping, but as someone contributing.

Change had not slowed down, but Alex finally had the tools to handle it.

What would shift for you if you had simple, repeatable tools to manage the impact on your work, your energy, and your confidence?

From Fatigue to Confidence

Now imagine opening the next change announcement and feeling calm instead of drained. Instead, you get curious and know what questions to ask. You can see opportunities hidden in the shift. You feel confident, and perhaps you even surprise yourself by leaning into the change rather than calculating how many coffees it will take to get through the week.

Change stops being something you dread. It becomes something you handle with clarity and confidence.

Something to Ask Yourself

The real power of navigating change is not about talent or personality. It is about methods you can learn and practise until they feel natural.

So ask yourself:“What would my work feel like if change stopped draining me, and started feeling manageable?”