The influx of change

It's one thing to hear cliches about change (ie, "The only constant is change," "We are creatures of comfort/no one really likes change" or "Even positive/exciting changes can be scary")....but it's far more difficult to embrace when you're actually living and breathing said change (and multiple changes at that!) in your day to day life. I have found myself coming up with my own 'mantras' to help me cope (see below), as there have been numerous changes going on at my workplace in the span of one month's time!

Here's 'a taste' of the changes: Significant increase in caseload, less time to see clients more frequently for counseling because there's too many clients to juggle, program manager and supervisor retired, no boss yet, a colleague left/took a new job, a new outside consultant to do more intensive case conceptualization/supervision with us therapists, and a restructuring of counseling programs (ie, program I'm in will be split into two programs and this includes not working with a few of my coworkers anymore once the split officially happens). I can't remember a time I have ever felt this many huge changes going on simultaneously.

We (human beings) resist change so much, sometimes even going so far into denial as to believe "People don't change" or "As much as things change, they stay the same." While this can certainly apply, I see more change than I do stagnancy. Granted, it's not always HUGE changes like the aforementioned work transitions I just mentioned that are going on in my life....but change is there if you have a keen awareness to pick up on the subtleties.

There's the "it happened so suddenly!" changes, the "I see it slowly coming, so I'm going to try and prepare for it" changes, the "I'm ready to/will change this....but not change that just yet" changes, and the "I know things are going to change, but I don't want to think about it right now" changes. Even feeling "stuck" or "resistant" is just a way to help give us more time to think about it. Maybe it's not about being lazy, fearful, or not wanting to change. Given that change is inevitable, sometimes we just need that 'brainstorming' time or time to 'just be' in the moment. Or time to reflect on how change will create a new life, identity, or way of being.

Interestingly, going through change oneself can also impact the dynamic between what you 'role model' to others (ie, practice what you preach....for me it's in the form of my being a great, effective therapist with my clients). In a weird way, the work changes have brought me 'closer' to my clients....an understanding and compassion for their own anxiety about how to work through stuff and their process of change, as well as having compassion for myself as I practice grounding myself and helping them by also helping myself from a place of peaceful calm.

What else helps get me through the influx of change? Every day one or more of the following statements come to my mind:

"One day at a time."
"Breathe"(followed by me taking in deep breaths)
"This will get easier/won't last forever."
"Easy does it."
"Just do what you can; there's no rush to do everything today."
"Take pleasure and gratitude in the simple things that make you laugh, smile, and that give you the endurance to keep going during this hard stuff."
"Rest and slow down if you're tired."
"Remember, you are making a difference with the work you do...even if the intensity of your therapy work with trauma survivors is rarely acknowledged/seemingly appreciated."
"Self care, self care, self care."

I also keep coming back to this amazing quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Absolutely.