Why Adapting to Change is Difficult, According to Therapists

According to therapists, it is natural for people to struggle with change. Two people may experience the same change differently based on their cumulative life experiences and beliefs. Adjustment disorders are also a possible reason why some people may struggle to navigate change. This disorder can occur at any age.
The exact cause of adjustment disorders is unknown. In general, they are considered an excessive response to a change. If you feel that any change in your life brings excessive stress, you may want to talk to a professional to gain tools to help you prepare for change in a way that feels empowering.

Tips from a Therapist: Expect Change

What happens if people start to expect change? It sounds easy at first, but if things are going well for you, the idea of things changing for worse can be frightening. It is natural to hesitate at the thought of everything shifting.

As said by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “Change is the only constant in life.” Life is unpredictable. So many people felt more stressed in the immediate unraveling of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, because they were faced with constant unknowns and changes. This made many people realize they needed therapy to feel supported and ready for the next inevitable change.

Find the Right Therapist For You

If there is one thing to expect from life, it is that life is full of changes. We live in a world with constant change, uncertainty, and challenges. At North American Mental Health Services, we know that adapting to these changes is hard. That is why we believe in finding someone who can listen to your experiences and give you helpful insight.

NAMHS has in-person therapists in Redding, Eureka, Fairfield, Monterey, Salinas, Red Bluff and Hollister and online therapy care available via HomePsych.

Therapy gives people the tools to manage crises, adjust to change, and thrive. Over the last few decades, the public stigma around therapy prevented thousands of people from receiving care that could change their lives.

Now, with more people embracing therapy and celebrities sharing how it changed their lives, there is an increased awareness of how therapy can enhance the quality of everyday life.

What is the public stigma around therapy?

When people refer to the stigma of mental illness and therapy, they are referring to a widespread, negative perception of therapy and people who need therapy. When people internalize these associations with therapy, they are less likely to receive care.

Across the United States, people with negative beliefs towards therapy might think, “therapy is a sign of weakness” or “I am not ‘crazy,’ so why do I need therapy?” The reality is that everyone could benefit from receiving quality therapy that helps them negotiate the daily struggles and joys of being human.

Besides being frustrating for people in need of mental health support, the public stigma around therapy also prevents friends and family from understanding the complexity of mental health.

Celebrities Breaking Stigmas: Selena Gomez, A Case Study

Each year, celebrities share their mental health journey and discuss how therapy changed their lives. This year, Selena Gomez told Vogue about how therapy changed her life. Said how she wished “more people would talk about therapy.”

In particular, Gomez spoke of how dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT, helps her find balance, support, and insight. DBT is one of three types of therapy that can help people with depression and anxiety.

Most therapy treatments can be done through in-office or online therapy appointments.

Find the Right Therapist For You

Therapists at North American Mental Health Services offer tangible ways to embrace anxiety and work with it so you can continue living a balanced life.

NAMHS has in-person therapists in Redding, Eureka, Fairfield, Monterey, Salinas, Red Bluff and Hollister and online therapy care available via HomePsych.

If you or a loved one need help to manage life’s challenges, contact NAMHS.

Adaptation as Survival: Tips from a Licensed Therapist on Processing Change

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life.” This quote summarizes one of the paradoxes of being human: life is full of changes. This is hard to accept. It may require relinquishing control, or adjusting one’s perception of control.

It is natural to fear change or to crave stability amidst a world that never stays the same. With the right support and tools, however, change can feel less scary. We hope this article, with quotes from Simeon Jones, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at NAMHS, provides insight to anyone who has survived trauma or navigated change.

Processing Trauma and Change: First Comes Acceptance

Part of being alive is being surrounded by changing environments. It may be tempting to ignore stressful events and how they impact oneself or one’s community.

As Simeon Jones writes in his article Healing from Trauma, “People might not realize they have been affected by trauma.” For example, Jones shares that while he was working in a hospital, he witnessed medical professionals move quickly past traumatic events, without time to process the trauma; eventually, a few people started exhibiting unwanted symptoms from a lack of acknowledging the trauma they faced each day. In this example, the change was negative and traumatic, as it referred to people dying or being violent.

The first step to taking care of yourself in the face of constant change is to recognize that external change. You can ask yourself questions like, “In what areas of my life do I feel like I have no control? What changes in my life have been most difficult to accept? Why?” This self-inquiry is a first step to acknowledging how you react to change and what types of changes may be more challenging for you, should they arise in the future.

Adaptation and Trauma: Is Healing Possible?

Healing from trauma is possible. It is a journey that may feel ongoing at times and without a clear finish line. People in therapy who have experienced trauma and depression often report relief from receiving consistent talk therapy to help them process significant life events.

As Jones writes, “Trauma can change the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world.” Everyone has a narrative, if not several, that helps them understand their role in the world. Trauma can flip and warp personal narratives and convince people they are not loved or deserving of love.

For example, children who experience consistent support and care from parents, guardians, teachers, siblings, etc., may develop a personal narrative such as, “I am a good kid. The world is a safe place and people can be trusted.” If that same child with that positive, life-affirming narrative experiences abuse from someone they trusted, their narrative may start to shift. Subconsciously, the narrative can morph into, “Sometimes I am a bad kid. Sometimes bad things happen to me that I deserve.”

While the latter narrative is not true, it may feel true, especially without professional attention and care.

Survival after Trauma: Why Adaptation is Vital

Continuing with the example in the previous section, the stories we tell ourselves can have a huge impact on how we experience life. The internalized belief in this imagined example may not be true, but unprocessed trauma has a way of convincing people otherwise. Luckily, therapy can help people reassert more compassionate narratives of themselves and help them  unpack how trauma influenced them.

Recognizing the symptoms of trauma is a key first step toward honoring one’s inner strength as a survivor. With the rise of online therapy, people can access in-office or online therapy appointments, depending on their preference.

Therapists have a challenging and vital role to help people of all ages, no matter how old or how fresh their trauma is, to understand how that trauma impacts how they view themselves and the world.

NAMHS has in-person therapists in Redding, Eureka, Fairfield, Monterey, Salinas, Red Bluff and Hollister and online therapy care available via HomePsych.  Request an appointment with us today!

We all go through challenging things from time to time, and the struggle with one’s mental health is not a reflection of one’s strength or weakness. That false belief can lead to negative and fearful thoughts that make us feel really bad. Past traumas do not have to be inexorably linked with our identities.

Many people walk around in the world not knowing what they need – they just know that they hurt. The world can sometimes seem like a scary place. Wars, school shootings, and similar events lead our evening newscasts and top the front pages of our papers. Sometimes, this can lead to strong feelings of anxiety and depression. Trauma can change the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and about the world. These stories can have a huge impact on how we feel and how we walk around every day.

Recognizing The Symptoms Of Trauma

People might not realize they have been affected by trauma. Some symptoms may include sleeplessness, hypervigilance, anxiety, and depression. Years ago, I worked in a hospital in Los Angeles. At times we would have traumatic things happen. We referred to these as “sentinal events.” These would consist of a patient death, a violent patient, or another emotionally taxing experience. Some medical professionals would try to ignore it or brush it off as “just part of the job.” The thought process was something like, “If I’m going to be a good nurse, I can’t be viewed as weak or soft.” So, they would employ various avoidance strategies to cope. Later they may begin to experience unwanted symptoms. At times, it may not even appear that their feelings are associated with that event. It’s as if a fear switch turns on, but it doesn’t turn off like normal.

Getting Treatment For Trauma

On a hopeful note, there are effective therapy treatments that can help people gain the tools they need to not be dominated by fear. We can find acceptance in that though we suffer, we can still overcome. We can live lives of hope and not fear. The stigma of mental health is lessening, and more and more people are reaching out for help. The more awareness that people have about mental health services, the more willing they will be to seek help from a licensed therapist or other mental health professional. If you are struggling with these unwanted feelings, just remember that you are not alone. Help is available to you if you make the choice to engage with it.