Coping with Change

Change can be good, bad, or even both. As the seasons start to change, typically other things start to change too! Summer symbolizes a time for fun, relaxation, and vacation. With the start of Fall, the summer routine ends as adults go back to full work weeks and kids start the school year. The change in routine as well as other changes that may be occurring in your life (i.e.starting a new job, having a baby, moving, or getting married) can all cause anxiety and stress.

Here are some tips to help ease some of the anxiety:

• Find out as much information about the change - typically the scariest part of change is the unknown.
  
  
• Figure out what you CAN control - identify what parts are in your control and work on accepting what isn’t.
  
  
• Celebrate the positive - we are so worried about the negative that we forget to take the time to celebrate the positive (i.e. a new job can be scary so it is easy to focus on that and forget to congratulate yourself for getting the job in the first place).
  
  
• Set reasonable expectations to cope with the change - we all take time to adjust to new and/or different things, even if it is positive, so be sure to allow yourself a reasonable amount of time to cope.
  
  
• Use coping skills - find things that help you to de-stress (i.e. journaling, exercising, positive self-talk). When things are going well, we tend to forget about the skills we have. You always have options to reduce anxiety. If you feel that you don’t have the skills, it may be beneficial to seek help from a therapist.
  
  
• Seek support - remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Support can come in the form of friends, family, doctors, teachers, therapists, etc.

Now, take a deep breath. We have thrown a lot of ideas at you. Some key things to remember are to slow down, take one thing at a time, and communicate your feelings/needs/wants in appropriate ways. You are not alone. Humans tend to be creatures of habit. Even changes like getting your kids back to school when nothing else has changed can still be quite stressful as you figure out the family’s new routine. Growing pains are expected but know that this too shall pass.

“The secret of CHANGE is to focus all of your energy not fighting the old, but on building the new.”
~Socrates

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelsey Wechter is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Meghan L Reitz & Associates. She provides experienced counseling to children, adolescents, and adults to identify issues they are experiencing and overcome problems through a variety of innovative, evidence-based strategies. Learn more about Kelsey HERE.