Dealing With Change: A Toy Story Unlike Any Other

By Sara Butler

Image Source: Disney UK

Have you ever been going along, minding your own business, only to stop in your tracks after a major life change and realize that you have no idea what to do next? I saw Toy Story 4 last weekend and realized halfway through that this isn’t simply a movie for kids, it’s a movie for everyone. Why? Because at the end of the day, it’s a story about embracing change as you get older instead of fighting against it.

There are so many things that can throw you for a loop as you age. Leaving a job you’ve been in forever, getting a life-altering health diagnosis, or caring for aging parents -- these are all things people experience every day, but not everyone handles life’s changes well. Here are a few tips from the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic to help you unleash your inner Woody and learn to embrace change in your life.

Learn to Grow

We get it, change isn’t comfortable. In fact, people do a lot of things to avoid major change. One of the most important things you can do when going through a change in your life that is shaking you up is to understand that change encourages growth. If you can embrace change instead of run from it, then you can learn to make it work to your benefit. Who knows, in the end, you could be happier than you were before.

Bo Peep in Toy Story is a great example -- she was given away and eventually discarded but used it as an opportunity to find a new life for herself. Bo knows change. Be more like Bo.

Change is Inevitable

The only thing constant in your life is change. Just look in the mirror -- there’s a different person staring back at you than there was 10 years ago. Things around you are constantly changing, growing, aging, and expanding. When you learn to embrace the change in your life, then you can stop fighting it and go with the flow to see where the winds of change take you.

Just look at what happened in Toy Story 3. The toys were ready to face life next to the Christmas decorations in a dusty attic, but instead were taken to a new owner who gave them a new lease on life. The point is, you never know where things will take you, so try to view change as an opportunity to grow.

Find the Negative

It can be helpful to take an honest look at your life when you’re in the middle of change and look at both the positives and negatives. Are there things you know aren’t beneficial to where you want to go, but you feel stuck? Sometimes if you can honestly evaluate different factors in your life and identify what is helping you, as well as what is hurting you, then you can move in a more positive direction.

Woody found himself being passed over and not played with but held onto the idea that his life’s purpose was to make things great for his owner. Ultimately, he realized that his dedication was hurting him and other toys, so he made a big decision that was for the best. A life-changing decision.

Know You’re Not Alone

Every person faces fear, uncertainty, and doubt -- even someone as positive as Sheriff Woody. Know that these feelings are normal but also something you can work to overcome. All you need to do is learn to embrace your feelings and act anyway, regardless if you are scared or unsure.

In Toy Story 4, Woody moves on to a new phase of his life as a toy. He stopped fighting against change and went with it, resulting in a life that was different, but better. And hey, if computer-generated fictional characters can embrace change, so can you.

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