How do we perceive the connection between stress and change? Change is by nature stressful because it is dismantling, reshaping, and moving energetic patterns into new configurations. That means that some perceptions that we use often are now placed into a minor role. New perceptions that are unfamiliar are now expected to perform a new role flawlessly, without practice, and that is stressful to new perceptions! Some people want to be completely certain how they will react to stress before they subject themselves to situations that might be stressful. They want to have assurance that they can endure the feeling of living with the new them, without resorting to old habits and reactivating poor strategies. For example, our dear old cranky cousin Joe had decided to become more loving and more spiritual. However, when Joe encountered “guff” from his family and friends he could not help himself and pushed his new loving method on them in an aggressive way to show them just how spiri