What to Do When Life Rocks the Boat
By Sandy Schroeder
In today's world, big life changes seem to come faster and hit harder. Even good changes like weddings and newborns can cause us to waiver as we struggle to keep our balance. Mostly, we just want everything to settle down.
With the pandemic, home jobs and schooling, and the threat of COVID-19, it's easy to understand why we are a little twitchy, but MindBodyGreen.com has some suggestions to help level everything out. Learning how to cope with changes and the stress that follows can be the difference between catastrophe and contentment.
Start With Your Comfort Zone
Health experts say it's all about knowing what our comfort zone is and how to navigate beyond it. When things happen in relationships, work, family, finances and health, we instinctively retreat to our comfort zone. Suddenly, little things mean a lot and we simply don't want more change.
Learning how to fit changes into our lives with simple adjustments can make the difference. To deal with uncertainty try these responses.
Cut yourself some slack - If you are like me, you work hard to make everything happen perfectly. But life seldom works like that and you really need to be patient with yourself as you roll through the ups and downs of changes. It's normal for things to feel differently. Just relax and work your way through everything and don't be surprised if it takes way longer than you expected.
Reach out and ask for help - With so much change going on, it's easy to feel lonely and vulnerable. Get together with friends and family members to just sit and talk and mull over everything that is going on. You will all probably come away feeling more relaxed and less frustrated. When more things come up, get together again. Your meetings may become ongoing checkpoints helping all of you manage change better.
Invent new routines - Sometimes the old grooves just don't do it, and you need some changes to help you handle everything. You may start having a quiet hour in the evening to just sit and talk and catch up with your family. Or you may get up an hour early to go for a short walk before you start your day. This may be the time to do some new things on the weekend like hikes, biking or camping to gain new perspectives.
Add stress releases to your day - If you already know it is going to be a bad day, week or month, why not be prepared? Don't let stress build up, choose some good stress relievers.
- Start every day with a simple meditation
- Carry sneakers with you to fit in short walks
- Add an exercise mat, cycle or treadmill to the family room
- Use Saturday morning brunches to mark the beginning of the weekend
- Look for new music, crafts or art that pleases you
When you are looking for ways to handle life's big and little changes, pay attention to what works for you and then repeat them whenever needed. The more relaxed and calm you are, the better things will go.
Look for good answers when you visit The Joint Chiropractic clinic near you. Find out more about the personal healthcare plans that eliminate the hassle of insurance. Walk-ins are welcome.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Greenwood, Ind.