Change of any kind can cause what we call “Transitional Stress.” The anxiety and emotional upheaval that an alteration to our normal routine can wreak upon us is a very real thing. Right now, I am in the middle of a fairly big move, which is the inspiration for this month's blog. As our living environments shift, so do so many other things in our lives - which can be a beautiful and powerful thing. However, it can also bring a lot of uncertainty, which is a common feeling that can be a challenge to navigate.
Change Is Good
Though we are often told that ‘change is good’ - it doesn’t always feel as if it is; especially when we are right smack dab in the middle of piles of empty moving boxes. Remember the uncertainty of expecting your first child? Perhaps you recall starting a new semester at school? Or moving to a new position or job in your career. Although these changes can often be positive, the stress they induce isn’t. We may find ourselves questioning if it’s truly in our best interest to take the leap of taking on something new.
These transitions bring us in contact with new people, unfamiliar guidelines, situations and our adaptive responses to these shifts in our environment can be hindered or even baffled by all the new information we are taking in. From one moment to the next we can be excited, anxious, elated and then feeling overwhelmed by dread. It’s exhausting! Both physically and emotionally.
Many, if not all, aspects of ourselves may be in upheaval. This article from Psychology Today on the 5 R’s of Culture Change, explains in more depth how our Routines, Reactions, Roles, Relationships, and Reflections about ourselves are all affected during times of transition.
Positive Habits for Change
There are several coping mechanisms we can adapt, as habits perhaps, to guide us through these stressful changes. For example, exercise has many positive side effects, besides the obvious physical ones. More specifically, yoga relieves anxiety by stimulating brain chemicals, increasing the activity of serotonin and norepinephrine and a raised heart rate releases endorphins and a hormone known as ANP, which reduces pain, induces euphoria and helps control the brain’s response to stress.
Also, taking a moment to breathe and center ourselves, whether through guided meditation or other exercises, can bring us back from the anxiety induced brink. I have a blog post on how to Be Mindful About Burnout that delves into the practice and solutions it can give you.
Finding the practice that works best for us may take a little time. Here is an article by PsychCentral Associate Editor Therese J. Borchard that offers up several options.
Change + Growth
This quote from Roy T. Bennet sums it up perfectly- “It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform.”
Change and transition are the only way for our personal growth to manifest. We grow when we take on a new class in a new semester at school. Our career trajectory grows when we take on a new position or job. And we move and grow into a new phase of our lives when we become parents or move into a new home or office. Change is good, when we know we have the tools and coping mechanisms to get us through it. After all, the only thing that is constant in our lives is in fact, change.
As always, if I can be helpful in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out! All of my information can be found here.