The Caring Counselor

I never did well with change. Most humans don’t. We are creatures of habit. Knowing provides us with the illusion of control.

However, this is totally unrealistic. I lay here in bed preparing for my fifth year as an adjunct psychology professor. You’d think by now that I’d be used to the routine, right? You set up your first couple lectures and post them online. Provide an introduction to the class. Then, you go over the syllabus and get into the material.

All of that stuff doesn’t matter. I still meet 70 new students. Sometimes, like this semester, I’m teaching an entirely different topic that I’ve never taught before. My schedule changes, and I need to make huge adjustments to my private practice schedule.

During these times of transition, I always find it best to slow down. I know that these changes cause me stress and bringing awareness to it is sometimes enough to calm me down.

I also know that it typically takes me about 3-4 weeks to get into the groove of a new schedule. I understand that during this time frame that I might not quite myself or might be a bit more scattered than usual. I must grant myself grace.

What I’m getting at here is know yourself and how you react to change. If you know a big change is coming, then you’ll be able to plan for it. It will help you to maintain some control in a situation that carries a lot of unknowns. Therefore, it’ll reduce some anxiety.

At times, we need to make adjustments during the adjustment

The Caring Counselor