Change
Change is a part of life - it is inevitable, but it is still one of the hardest things to deal with. Big changes happen all the time, especially at this time of the year as it marks the end of the academic year. You will go from seeing friends everyday at school to less often, you may be moving school, moving classes or even moving to another country if you study abroad. It also means a change in routine as you go from the very structured school day to a more flexible routine, and whilst this is good and allows you more time to relax which is what the holidays are for, it can be an adjustment too. Even if these changes are positive, which hopefully they all will be, it can cause stress and take a toll on your wellbeing. How can we effectively cope with change?
There are two ways people tend to cope with change - escape coping and control coping. Escape coping is essentially avoiding the change and delaying it at all costs, and doing things to escape from thinking about and processing the change. If done for the long term, this can become exhausting and tiring and generally bad for your mental health. Control coping is the more positive and proactive method of coping - you face the challenge head on, think about your feelings and get support to help you move through the change. It is the more difficult option in the short term, but allows you to properly process and work through the change more effectively, therefore reducing the amount of adjustment time you need. In reality, we will probably respond to change using a mixture of escape coping and control coping, but the more we strive to cope in a controlled way, the more positive improvement we will see.
Change is a process, and like most processes, you cannot rush through the stages. You need to be able to process all your emotions fully to finally accept your new normal, whatever that may be. You will inevitably feel shock, then emotional responses such as anger, grief, and only after that will you be able to accept your new situation. It obviously depends on the change you are experiencing - more intense changes will probably mean a larger emotional response. The best ways to manage change is to try and maintain your mental health through these times using the ways I have talked about on this blog a lot: getting enough sleep, eating balanced regular meals, staying hydrated and getting some exercise.
Another great way to manage change is to create a routine - maybe getting a part-time summer job will help with the change from having no school to provide you with routine anymore. Having a similar schedule to your life before will help maintain some normalcy in your life, and also make the change a lot less drastic. Perhaps using a journal or some other method to track your habits can be useful.
Finally, make sure you access support when you need it, whether it is a trained professional or talking to a friend over some coffee. Even if they are not able to help much in any way, simply talking about it and making someone else aware of how you are feeling can be incredibly beneficial to you as it takes a weight off your chest. Remember, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness!
