By Tana McKee
There are a few things in life that are absolutely guaranteed—and one of those is CHANGE! Sometimes change gets a bad rap for not being a good thing, but there are many things that change or transition for good reasons and eventually lead us to new and better things.
At the beginning of spring, daylight saving time starts, and many of us are able to enjoy Spring Break Week – both lead to differences in our schedules. At first, it can seem a bit challenging, and we might grumble about some of the inconveniences resulting from the change(s)–but we eventually adapt and perhaps even forget that we had to change things up a bit last year – until the time rolls around and we need to do so again.
Here are three realistic tips that can help navigate some of these natural and often unavoidable transitions in our day-to-day lives – how you can practice establishing a new navigation system.
- Simply acknowledge that daily transition is a part of life. We don’t have to like it, but if we accept that it’s going to happen, we’re already taking back some of our own control in the situation.
- Once you’re on board with knowing these transitions are inevitable, the absolute best thing you can do is keep an open mind about the change or transition. Sometimes this is much easier said than done – especially for significant and unforeseen changes. But for these ‘standard change’ scenarios, it’s key to keep an open mind and be flexible, which will help you avoid contributing additional anxiety to the situation.
- Give yourself permission to have some feelings about whatever is going on and look for an outlet to express some of what you’re thinking and feeling. It’s okay to feel a little out of sorts or encounter some irritability after daylight saving time starts, and it’s okay to feel a little sad that Spring Break Week is over or, conversely, to be very glad that the kids are back at school and your schedule is getting back to ‘normal’ again after a hectic week off.
And, in general, just as most of us therapists always say – it’s okay not to be okay. This is why we truly need one another. For relationships, communication, and connection—and sometimes simply for reminders that let us know that it’s really okay to just be HUMAN.
