Coping with Change
Changes are an inevitable part of life however, the way in which people manage and cope with change can vary. 2020 brought with it many changes. These changes affected every area of our lives including relationships, work, travel and most importantly for us how we ‘do’ school. With this in mind we would like to explore some ways in which we can support ourselves and each other to cope with and adapt not only to these changes but to the changes we all face throughout our lives.
Strategies for Coping with Change
Realise that feelings of stress can be created when going through change.
Be kind to yourself, during times of change it is extremely important to practise self-care.
Keep your routine as much as possible, having set things which you do everyday will support you in remembering that not everything has changed, some things have stayed the same.
Try to limit the time in which you access social media/watch the news, this can feed a negative mindset.
Get some exercise, eat healthily, practise mindfulness.
Remember you have coped with stressful situations before and you can cope again.
Take care of yourself – you cannot pour from an empty cup!
Helping Children Cope with Change
Talk with them, let them know what is happening and what changes they can expect.
Let them express how they are feeling and then guide their attention to the things in their life that have not changed.
Model focusing on the positives in the child's life or positive aspects of the change rather than the negatives.
Keep routines as much as possible, or establish new routines which they can rely on.
Prepare children for changes, let them know what to expect and what these will look like.
Involve the children in planning for change.
Remind children they have experienced change many times in their life before, and have the ability within them to cope with it.
Teach them how to ‘ground’ themselves
Some Grounding Ideas to Use with Children
Be a Tree: There’s nothing more grounded than a tree! Teach your children to feel his or her connection with the ground by imaging themselves as a tree. This sounds like, “I am firmly planted. I feel my feet rooted to the ground. My back is a strong trunk helping me feel stable in the moment. I feel my toes connecting with the ground. My arms are my branches. I feel them reach out into the world.”
Object Focus
Keep some unique items on hand with different textures and colours. These could be sensory items, colourful rocks, snow globes or something else. Students can hold an item in their hands and tune in all of their focus to the item. Notice the colours. Notice the textures. How does it feel in my hand? How does it feel when I squeeze it? What colours do I see? Just notice everything there is to notice about the item!
Stomp Stomp Blow
For an active grounding exercise, have students stomp the left foot, stomp the right foot and then exhale deeply. Continue this pattern of stomp, stomp, blow, stomp, stomp, blow, stomp, stomp, blow. Feel the connection of feet with the floor. Blow away anxious thoughts.
Room Search
Pick one broad category and search the room. Name everything in the room that’s green. How many stars can you find in the room? Say the type of shoe everyone in the room is wearing. Count the bricks on one wall.
