Change Is Coming. AGAIN!

Change Is Coming. AGAIN!

A NOTE FROM DR. RICK

Change Is Coming. AGAIN!

August and September are times of typical transition. Whether you’re wrapping up your summertime fun, the kids are going back to school, or you perhaps are returning to work yourself, change is inevitable. It’s how we respond to it that can help or hurt us. Some life events are expected, enabling us to prepare for them, while others can be unforeseen, which can result in feelings of intense vulnerability. Each adjustment requires us to objectively look at the situation and problem-solve how to get through it. The following are some tips to help your transitions go smoothly and empower you to embrace change rather than react with fear and trepidation.To be resilient through all of life’s transitions, we need to see change as an opportunity. It can be difficult to withstand some of the curve balls thrown our way throughout our lifetime, but with the help of loved ones and a proactive game plan for self-care, combined with an open mind, we can learn to overcome, thrive, and be the very best version of ourselves.

See Change as Good – Switch your mindset from dread to appreciation. Brain science has shown that change stimulates our nervous system and allows us to grow new neural pathways. In other words, our brain is capable of changing and growing, so that we can become even more resilient and successful. This process serves to connect areas of the brain to enable signals to be sent from one region of the nervous system to another. Once you prove to yourself that you can get through difficult things, change makes you smarter, more skilled at adapting, and more empowered to take new risks!

Seek a Support System – Find people who are going through similar experiences. Reach out and connect with friends and family. They will give you that emotional boost and, perhaps, some wisdom as to how they have navigated similar transitions.

Good Grief – Let’s look at when are children get older, going off to college, move away. Even if life is moving ahead and the change is positive, it can still mean the loss of something familiar and comfortable… Allow yourself to be sad, but also how the change has promise for self and other improvement. It’s just a new beginning, not the end.

Can Fear can Be Your Friend? Fight or Flight? – If we get stuck in our feelings of fear, we don’t allow ourselves to see the opportunity in the changes we have to face. Let the fear motivate you to take action. Remember healthy fear can be a good thing like past errors can teach us to avoid making the same mistakes again… Not doing what we know we should be doing realizing there are consequences we don’t want or need to happen which keeps us from experiencing the same negative consequences.

Love Yourself – Self-care/self-love is essential all the time, but especially during times of change. This is the time to prioritize yourself by eating well, getting adequate sleep, and finding time to move your body to release healthy endorphins. Develop a schedule that allows for some relaxation as well as opportunities to connect with others. Isolation and pushing yourself to the limit will only increase your despair.

Maintain a Present Perspective – Stay present-focused. If you find yourself in that catastrophizing thinking mind set, stop it! Take a breath and challenge those self-defeating thoughts. Focus out to see the bigger picture. Find balance and learn how you can accept the change you’re facing; it’s not all bad nor all good. Create realistic expectations for yourself. Change is hard enough without the pressure to be “perfect” through it.

  • Seek Help
  • Why do it alone?
  • Seeking help is paradoxical strength.
  • Self-Awareness requires us to know when we cannot do it ourselves and need someone to help us.

Find a specialist whose personality resonates with your own, who feels right, and has the background and experience to help you overcome your obstacles.

FEATURE ARTICLE

Quiz: How Well Do You Cope With Change?

All change carries with it the risk of the unknown and the unexpected. Some find this exciting and welcome the challenge. Others go down the path of change reluctantly, dragging their heels all the way. But, as songwriter Johnny Rivers said, “The only thing that’s permanent is change.” A conscious, developed awareness of our response to change can help us develop better coping strategies.

Answer the following questions to find out how you cope with change. You won’t be scored at the end, but answer true or false to the following questions, and elaborate a bit on those that feel especially relevant.

  1. T / F : I hesitate to make a change until everything is 100 percent right.
  2. T / F : I never make changes unless they are forced on me.
  3. T / F : Generally, I look forward to change as exciting and challenging.
  4. T / F : I’m the kind of person who has to be totally fed up before I’ll make any changes.
  5. T / F : When confronted with a change over which I have little control, I review the events and my behavior to determine if I could have done anything differently.
  6. T / F : Rather than feeling responsible for negative changes that come out of nowhere, I take responsibility for my reaction to them.
  7. T / F : I realize that sometimes even “good” changes have an underside that may bring unexpected problems.
  8. T / F : I realize that a positive change in one area of my life won’t smooth out all my problems.
  9. T / F : When coming to terms with a major change in my life, I attempt to keep other changes to a minimum.
  10. T / F : When a change or transition occurs, I review how I have handled other such events in my life for lessons on how to cope in this event.
  11. T / F : I look for other people who have undergone similar changes as models for how I might better cope with the change in my life.
  12. T / F : During a time of change, I ask for help and support from those close to me, reliable friends and outside professionals.
  13. T / F : After a life change, I step back from the situation to get perspective and rest in order to regain a sense of balance.
  14. T / F : I try to look at the “big picture” of the change, and acknowledge mixed feelings I might have.
  15. T / F : Rather than blaming or feeling victimized, when I’m caught in a change which I have no control, I “pick myself up, dust myself off” and continue to move forward.
  16. T / F : I don’t hold onto the “way things used to be,” but instead move into “the way things are.”
  17. T / F : In order to make a necessary change, I am willing to risk the disapproval and lack of support from others.
  18. T / F : When something positive happens for someone that might change our relationship, I don’t let my fears get in the way of being supportive of that person.
If changes in your life are causing you difficulties, or if you need help in developing some skills to cope with change, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Share
Tweet
Forward

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Take A Look At What’s Happening At Compass

Our DUI treatment programs and Clinical Evaluations are state approved for court ordered treatment. Allow us to help you. We also do Interventions for those struggling to get help. Call today.Here are more services we provide:

  • Individual, Relationship, & Child Counseling
  • Choices: Drug & Alcohol Court Ordered Group
    • Meets weekly. We also work with your probation officer. DUI, possession charges, and other issues arising from substance abuse.
  • Challenges Adolescent Group
    • Meets weekly. Now forming for Fall 2018.
  • Anger Management Classes
  • Diversion Classes For Shop Lifting & Thief Prevention
  • Drug Screening
    • Also available on site and home kits
  • Relapse Prevention & Early Intervention Program
  • Substance Abuse Interventions for your loved ones
  • Adolescent Female Group
    • Now forming. Charity & Bethany are offering a 4-week intensive for adolescence. This is a focused group which will be held to a very limited number of teen girls. Give them a call about how to sign up your teen.
  • Counseling for drug and alcohol issues
    • We treat both the addicted loved one as well as the battle weary family. We are here for you.
  • Executive Coaching
    • Also available for the busy professional, who seems to never have time.

THE COMPASS CONSULTING TEAM

Our team of counselors have various licenses and degrees, so you will be sure to find the perfect match. Call 678-395-7922 today or visit our contact page to schedule an appointment or leave a message.
Dr. Rick Petronella, PhD
Having practiced as a consultant for 28 years, Dr. Rick Petronella has also been involved with corporate culture development for over 25 years. He has been a corporate consultant specializing in the areas of leadership development, executive coaching and organizational transformations in many corporations throughout the United States. He also works very closely with job analysis, Competency modeling and “Goodness of fit” studies. He is the president and founder of Compass Consulting and Affiliates, LLC.
Bethany Kinzel — MA, LPC, NCC
Bethany is an LPC focused on individuals, couples, and adolescence. She utilizes proven, clinical and educational techniques to help her clients live a more productive, meaningful and fulfilled life. Her educational techniques include: cognitive-behavioral therapy, family systems approaches, and mindfulness exercises. By practicing these techniques, the chains of repetitive, destructive behaviors will be broken, leading to a better quality of life.
Charity L Simpson, MS, LAPC, NCC, MDiv
Charity is a collaborative, relational-oriented counselor who seeks to support individuals within their current context. She integrates humanistic, existential, and systems theories with cognitive, behavioral, and solution-focused techniques. Charity seeks to work with clients to identify strengths, better utilize available resources, and work through challenges that pose obstacles to fulfilling life and relationships. In addition to traditional talk therapy, Charity integrates practices of mindfulness and creative approaches such as art, music, experiential, sand tray, and play therapies.
Bob Roland Th.M.
Bob is our newest member of Compass Consulting. He is a very seasoned pastoral counselor. Bob specializes in Couples, Families and Individual counseling.

Comments are closed.