When you hate change, but have to

By Abby Glaser

​Hi, my name is Abby, and I hate change! I am a creature of habit and routine. I love predictability, schedules and knowing what will come next. I follow the same routine every day. I’m also the mother of five children so you can imagine how much work it takes to maintain that!

Due to these quirks of my personality, you can probably imagine how difficult aspects of the COVID epidemic have been for me! Working from home, overseeing my children’s education and all the other changes and adjustments have been a challenge. Now we’re 18 months in and transitioning back to the office and school! Some of you, like my husband, may thrive on change and adventure so this is easy for you! But if you are like me and struggle with it, I would like to offer a few tips to navigate!

1. Lower your expectations. We’ve all had a crazy year and and the effects won’t disappear overnight. Don’t expect yourself to jump back into your old routine and thrive without an adjustment period. Give yourself grace to ease in to your new normal. Which brings me to point #2…
2. There will be a new normal! Our world went through something we’ve never experienced and we will most likely never fully return to “before”. Some things will go back to normal, but many are irrevocably changed. Wishing for our old normal will only bring us frustration and disappointment. Thinks have changed and we will change with it!
3. Remind yourself that you will adjust eventually. It can be easy in the moment to feel overwhelmed by all the changes. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we have survived major transitions before and these feelings are temporary!
4. Talk to someone about how you’re feeling. Often our fears can be lessened simply by voicing them to a safe person! Whether that is a friend, a counselor or someone at Encompass, reach out to talk when you need to. Many of us are struggling with the same fears and frustrations so sometimes it helps to know we are not alone!

Lastly, open the lines of communication at home. If you have kids heading back to school they may be feeling the same anxieties. For many kids the back and forth we’ve experienced combined with a lot of unknowns about the upcoming year can be difficult for kids. As with adults, often kids benefit from just talking it out with someone. Listen to them, don’t try to fix or downplay their feelings and share that you are there for them!

​At the end of the day, we are all doing the best we can to navigate this new world. There will be moments of uncertainty and fear. We have gotten through hard times before and we will continue to do so together!