Coping with change when you are disabled can be difficult and overwhelming and something I have been dealing with recently. So, lets chat about it and see if there are ways to make it easier to cope with.
Change is overwhelming
Change is something that I have never been good at, growing up was so hard for me as there was constant change. Now, as an adult, I get to feel in control more especially because I do not go out of my house very often.
This means that I can have a set routine for my life and through that I can flow through easily. It makes me feel safe and calm which is such a lovely feeling, living with an anxiety disorder it can be hard to find, and routine has always been the key for me.
Moving in with my mom, into my childhood home, with my husband and dogs and having to downsize and give away furniture and things of ours was really hard. We have lived here about five years now, and for much of that it had not felt like home, more that we are living in mom’s house.
Last week, me and my husband, along with our friend Andy, redecorated our living room, though I couldn’t do much I did manage to roller two walls. We put up wallpaper on one wall, and instead of our ornaments and pictures put anywhere, we have been able to really make it feel like our space.
My mom loves what we have done, and we will be doing the other two downstairs rooms over the year. It has felt lovely now it is done, only a gallery wall left to do, and we feel so much happier and more comfortable in the room since.
But, coping with change while we decorated was so difficult and honestly something that I had panic attacks about. I just hated that I couldn’t do things in my order, and I felt very overwhelmed and just wanted it to be done.
I have also had to change my routine because my husband has changed the day, he goes to visit his mother who has dementia. Our puppy likes to be with me, but hates when I am on the computer, so I have had to change my whole week around.
Instead of recording my Friday YouTube video on a Tuesday and editing on a Wednesday, I now have to record Monday and edit Tuesday. This has meant shuffling around our meals for each day and reorganising my whole week, both things that my brain has not found easy.
The panic of it all reminded me of the change in the season, it is now spring, and flowers are budding, birds are singing and everything seems to be waking up. It was my birthday on the 16th March, and this always feels more like new year to me than in the middle of winter.
Over winter, the plants have been resting, animals hibernating and now its all buzzing with life. I was in the garden this morning, listening to the buzz of bees and singing of birds, the sun stronger, and felt no panic in the world.
Change is natural, and yes coping with change can be difficult, but it is through this that we can grow spiritually and as people. Flowing with change is something I long to learn and feel it is something that my body and brain need.
So, I have been thinking about how I can cope better when my routine is disrupted and how I can use this as a lesson for my future.
Coping with Change
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How to Flow instead of Panic
- Breathe – Concentrating on the breath, and taking slow and calm breaths, is a wonderful way to be connected to the moment. It takes your attention from panicked thoughts that most probably will never happen. Staying in the now, instead of catastrophising is so important and something I practice every day.
- Plan – People with anxiety know planning and organising is a skill that helps so much with that overwhelming feeling. So, if there is change coming, plan it out into small steps if possible. I did this with the decorating, and it helped so much to know what was happening each day and what was expected of me.
- Be positive – Living with a noisy brain that tells us only the worst that can happen, a big help for me is to be positive. Not letting constant worries and negative thoughts be said out loud and worried about is a game changer. Honestly, whether you believe in the power of words or not, hearing positive things out loud will help.
- Take time – This one is all about stepping away and being alone, take a bath, if possible, meditate, do some colouring or a jigsaw puzzle. Taking some time for yourself to be calm and quiet and hopefully away from the signs of change, will help your mind to cope. Anxiety is so overwhelming at times, but it is also something we live with, so find time to be alone and decompress will be so good for you.
- Fresh air – If possible, go outside, whether it’s a walk or five minutes in the garden, or just looking out the window. Getting some fresh air and seeing nature calms us and aids in the last tip of taking time. It is even better if you add in a cup of tea!
I really hope that if you are coping with change, that these ideas will help you like they helped me. Anxiety can be so overwhelming, please leave me a comment of how you deal with change so we can help one another.
Thank you xx
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