Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher circa 500 BC, nailed it. Change is the only constant in life. Roughly 2300 years later, Benjamin Franklin expanded the famous quote by saying, “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” Change, in and of itself, isn’t good or bad. It just “is”. Admittedly, change can be stressful, especially if it is negative or intense. Even positive change can be stressful. Because it is constantly happening, knowing how to navigate change is an important skill.
ADOLESCENCE–A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE
Most agree that adolescence is a stage of life that involves many significant changes. During my time as a middle school counselor, I often told students that if I took a picture of them on the first day of 6th grade and another picture of them on the last day of 8th grade and put them side-by-side, they would see how much they physically changed in 3 years. I’d then state that they changed just as much cognitively, socially, emotionally, and spiritually during the same time.
Erik Erikson, a famous psychologist, called this psychosocial stage of development the “Identity versus Role Confusion” stage. According to Erikson, the social task during adolescence is experimenting with different roles to develop a sense of their unique identities. Exploring the big “Who am I?” question while examining their values, beliefs, goals, and interests. A sense of independence emerges as a stronger sense of self evolves during this stage.
BENEFITS OF CHANGE
What are the benefits of change in our lives? When we have an open mind, we can learn a lot from change. Being open to change allows us to take risks and get out of our comfort zones. We are more willing to try new things, and it keeps life from becoming, well, for lack of a better word, boring. Through change, we learn. Change promotes flexibility in our actions and thinking. We become more adaptable. Change leads to personal growth as we encounter different experiences. Change can enhance our creativity. Change opens us up to the possibility of finding new and better solutions or ways of doing things. Opportunities not found otherwise may surface through change.
With all of these benefits, are there any disadvantages to change? Change is not always for the better. Sometimes change happens because of a negative event beyond our control or a negative choice within our control. These types of changes may lead to adverse outcomes. Too much change too quickly can lead to resistance, fatigue, and/or distress.
COPING WITH CHANGE
Whether a particular change is good or bad and whether or not you are a person who likes or dislikes change, here are a few effective strategies found to be helpful when coping with change:
- EXPECT CHANGE!
- The weather changes. The seasons change. Day changes to night…daily!
- Practice the Serenity Prayer.
- Identify what you can and can’t control.
- If you have control and can make a change for the better, consider changing your behavior.
- If you do not have control and cannot change the situation/person, consider changing how you think about or deal with the situation to ensure that you are handling the situation/person in a way that is healthy and safe for you.
- Identify what you can and can’t control.
- Problem-Solve:
- To come up with ways to respond to changes you can control.
- To come up with ways to respond to changes you cannot control.
- Make a list of the pros and cons of the change.
- Take care of yourself.
- Exercise
- Relax
- Eat healthy foods
- Practice calming strategies
This post is based on a student lesson on CHANGE. The lesson includes a guided script for the facilitator, a student slideshow, activities, and worksheets. It is appropriate for students in grades 5-9. Interested? Check it out by clicking the link to go to the resource in our Teachers Pay Teachers store: CHANGE: A Lesson on Handling Change, the Only Constant in Life | TPT
