Are You Struggling Through Change Alone?

"Have you ever found yourself working late into the night during a major workplace change, desperately trying to figure things out on your own rather than admitting you need help? You're not alone. When organizations announce restructures, implement new systems, or pivot strategies, something curious happens. Some teams emerge from the uncertainty stronger and more connected, while others splinter into silos where everyone's fending for themselves."

"We avoid asking questions that might reveal gaps in our knowledge. We refuse to ask for help in case someone thinks we can't cope. We burn ourselves out trying to maintain the illusion that we have everything under control. When we interpret our struggles with change as something to be ashamed of, our brains signal "not safe enough." Our nervous systems shift into protection mode and activate responses that make reaching out feel dangerous. Problems multiply. Knowledge stays siloed. Teams fragment."

"Nature wired us to be perfectly imperfect so we could learn and evolve over time, yet we often interpret our struggles with change as something to be ashamed of. Research by Dr. Carol Dweck reveals that when we reframe struggles as learning opportunities rather than personal failures, our brains shift from protection mode to growth mode."

Workplace change often triggers insecurity, causing people to hide gaps in knowledge, avoid asking questions, and refuse to seek help to maintain an illusion of competence. Nervous systems interpret visible struggle as unsafe, activating protection-mode responses that make reaching out feel dangerous, which multiplies problems, preserves knowledge silos, and fragments teams. Reframing struggles as learning opportunities shifts the brain from protection to growth mode. Research finds people underestimate colleagues' willingness to help by up to 50%. Asking for help reduces burnout, strengthens relationships, builds collective wisdom, and enables teams to emerge stronger and more connected.

Read at Psychology Today