As Summer fades into the rearview mirror and Fall quickly approaches, priorities and routines change. Change, an inevitable fact of life, calls for adjustments that aren’t always the easiest to make. Sometimes the changes are invited and welcomed and sometimes they are thrust upon you. The changing seasons are a picture of the many challenges that can happen in a life:
- An old relationship, the end to a relationship, a new relationship
- A new baby, a growing baby, an independent child
- Back to school, a new semester, graduation
- Looking for a job, finding a job, changing jobs
- Moving
- Friendships: old friends, making friends, losing friends
- Health challenges
- Challenges to our long held ideas, values and beliefs
- On and on….
So what are some things you can do when change comes your way to minimize the distress and maximize the potential for a positive outcome? Well…
- Prepare. Ok so the change has already begun and you are not prepared. That’s okay, you can prepare now for what is still to come. Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
- Think smaller. Break things down into manageable (as you define manageable) parts. Take one part at a time and deal with it. This can help to minimize that “overwhelmed” feeling.
- Celebrate. As you work your way through the “parts”, allow yourself to feel good about what you have dealt with or accomplished. Give yourself a “pat on the back” or allow yourself to enjoy a little down time in whatever way pleases you.
- Have the expectation, that all may not go smoothly. Sometimes it is two steps forward and one step back. You are still moving. So don’t give up.
- Be patient. With yourself and others. You are in process. Be kind to yourself and those around you who may be going through it too.
- Enlist those around you. For help, encouragement, prayer, accountability or whatever it is that you might need to see you through.
- Be positive. Unless thinking negatively about things is what gets you through, thinking positively will help you to focus on the solutions you need, instead of bogging you down in the problems you face.
Villa Majella 