Blog Posts

Hello friends, welcome to the blog this week.  Today I wanted to focus on preparing for and adapting to change.  I have had a lot of clients who are either going back to school or have kids going back to school and sometimes the transition from summer to back to school can be really hard.  I have had clients who are starting college for the first time and trying to navigate through entering the adult world.  I have clients who are going through other changes like losing a loved one, change in job, moving, entering or leaving a relationship, having a new baby, or becoming an empty nester.  Regardless of the change that may be occurring, or going to occur, I want to talk about things that can help prepare for and handle change.  

1. Be open minded and receptive to the change.  Start to look at the positive things the change can bring and picture how they may look or feel for you.  It can be helpful to let yourself process through it but ultimately to accept the change for what it is instead of trying to control it.  

2. Slow down and ground when needed.  Sometimes we can overthink and start to worry about all the possible things that could go wrong or all the things that have to change at once.  Stop and pausing to get back to a baseline and stop over-thinking can really help.  This can include using grounding exercises like breathing exercises, the five senses, muscle relaxation, listening to a meditation, going for a walk, changing temperature; like drinking cold water, taking a cold shower, rubbing ice on your arm, splashing cold water on your face, etc.  Slowing down can also help to reflect and find one step to take at at time instead of focusing on the big picture.

3. Communicate with others.  Talk to your kids about how they feel about school starting, talk to someone in your support system about how you feel about the change you might be experiencing.  Communicating about whatever is coming up can help you address the changes.

4. Build a picture of what you want it to look like.  With EMDR therapy I have clients visualize how they want themselves to feel and how they see a situation looking like for them.  Allow yourself to visualize how you want yourself to look, feel, and experience the change.  

5. Get back into a routine.  Sometimes when change is coming it can feel daunting.  Some people want to shut down, continue to contemplate the change, and not work on preparing for the change.  Using the example of going from summer to school starting again, I recommend starting with getting back into a routine that will help the transition.  Other types of changes can also disrupt routines, it can help to create a sense of manageability in life by making the situation appear more controllable and acceptable.  Change is scary, but so is staying the same. Until next time. 

Emilie Barragan, LCSW

Therapeuo Health – “Tackling Physical and Emotional Pain”