Volume 2 Issue 6
News you can use from Coaching 4 Success, Inc.
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6 Ways to Successfully Adjust to Change
by Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS
Face it. Change is inevitable – and yet, it seems to be human nature to fight it. We do love our comfort zones! We are less stressed, less frustrated and feel more stable when we know what to expect within our environment. The problem is, comfort zones are only temporary.
A friend of mine died recently and with that I witnessed change in its most coldest form. It throws you out of whack, totally dismantles your routine and leads you to a shocking and numbing place within. Everything seems to stop in the moment.
And yet, somehow you get through it all. You move through the waves of grief and sorrow and learn how to navigate through the adjustment. During this experience, I learned what works and what doesn’t when dealing with major changes. I’ve come up with 6 key components to follow in adjusting to any change you might (and will) encounter.
1. Allow Yourself to Feel the Feelings. Change in careers, a relationship, or in your environment can lead you to feeling things you might never have felt before. Some people feel irritable and on edge, while others feel excited to an obsessive degree. The point is, we need to feel what’s going on within us, in order to deal with it effectively. The biggest mistake people make with change is trying to push the feeling away.
2. Be Flexible. When you are in the midst of change, it’s important to allow yourself some “wiggle room.” You may not be as organized or as structured as you usually are when you have additional things on your mind. Understand that your thinking may not be up to par, and give yourself extra time to accomplish tasks.
3. Keep to Your Routine. Once the initial shock has settled in, it’s important to try and stay within your routine of living. Get up at a reasonable time each morning, get dressed, and make a list of things to do to keep yourself focused and on track. By following a routine, you are able to add normalcy to your life, even if the circumstances don’t feel quite normal to you.
4. Take Baby Steps. Any change can seem overwhelming and daunting. If you just focus on the hour in front of you or the day ahead of you, it takes some of the anxiety and fear away. It allows you to stay in the present moment without jumping too far ahead of yourself. This is a technique used in Alcoholics Anonymous and other organizations that support people in change. Just focusing on one day at a time makes it easier to deal with and will produce less anxiety and stress.
5. Nurture Yourself and Accept Help. You are ultimately responsible for yourself, nobody else has that role except you. It’s up to you to take extra special care when dealing with major changes. Allowing more time to rest and relax is beneficial in helping your mind and body deal with change. Eating healthy and exercising, even just 15 minutes daily, can help you feel better as you move through the adjustment period. If someone is nice enough to offer to help, accept it. By allowing others to assist, you are lessening your burden and helping yourself move forward.
6. Be With Others. While there is a benefit to being by yourself to grapple with the change, too much solitary time is unhealthy and can lead to depression. Spending time with others helps you focus on other things besides yourself and also gives you the support and connection of people who care about you. Studies show people with strong support networks move through major changes faster than those without them.
Change is actually a good thing, even when we experience loss. It is a natural part of life and it is the moving force to motivate us to grow, achieve, and appreciate those around us. By following these guidelines, you are moving proactively with the change, rather than being dragged by it.
