Adaptation to Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes are new behaviors that could result in new routines. These lifestyle changes require you to adapt to them, they are noticable in various aspect of life such as health, professional life, level of income flow, a relationship, educational advancement, a new baby, getting organized, retirement and major areas of transition in one’s life.
It is imperative to know that lifestyle changes are changes that will occur. To adapt, prepare yourself mentally by expecting some things, or possibly many aspects of your life to change, especially existing routines. Lifestyle change may be a shock to your system, at first. Over time however, you will realise your new found freedom which makes it easier to adapt.
Adapting to an unexpected lifestyle change can be stressful due to the unknowns. For those that are expected, creating a plan can help you adapt easier to avoid unnecessary stress and actually enjoy your new lifestyle.
Planning is key for ease in adapting to a lifestyle change. Look at it from different angles and talk to family and friends that have made a similar change. Even though every situation is unique, you can gain valuable information from the experiences of others. Once you create a plan, a portion of the steps to your plan can potentially turn into a routine which makes it easier to remember so that it turns into an habit.
Change can come into our lives as a result of a crisis, as a result of choice or just by chance. In either situation, we are all faced with having to make a change. When you are unprepared and resistant to change, then you have no control or choice as to how you want to live your life. You live your life as a reactionary rather than an activator of change. I believe that it is better to be prepared for change because we have more control over how we react to the change we are having to face in our lives.
As a nation, we are about to experience a major transition in governance which one way or the other will influence certain areas of our lives. In times like this, we need to understand better way to adapt to the system, ways that are suitable to our psychological well-being.
We all desire to live successful, healthy, happy and long lives. To achieve what we all desire we need to be proactive about how we mange the change we experience in life.
To conclude, denial and resisting change will only result in a miserable life. This is why it is so important to learn how to be adaptable, resilient and bold because these 3 things are key to you successfully adapting to the constant impact that change will have on your life.
Rachel Affiong Umoh
Psychotherapist/Rehabilitation Practitioner
