Coping with Change

Marnie McKimmie
The West Australian
March 29, 2012

Whether you are the type to drag your heels or dive off the deep end, change can be both good and bad for the body, mind and soul.

As the saying goes, change is as good as a holiday.

And it also has health benefits indicated by recent research. A University of NSW study of 188 centenarians determined that an openness to change - along with the ability to accept good advice, change for the better and seek help when needed - were important factors that aided longevity.

Yet at the same time, WA psychiatrists working in the Kimberley have reported that the unprecedented rate of change in community connectedness thrust upon many indigenous groups - due to separation from country, scattering of relations, introduction of intoxicating substances - may be partly to blame for health and mental health problems contributing to lower life expectancy.

With the ever increasing pace of modern living, the question is: how do you best prepare yourself for change? How do you get the tools needed to make it over unexpected big waves of change that come your way in life, while constantly improving and changing for the better rather than becoming fearful and stagnant?

Experts say how we cope with change is affected by outlook, genes, environment and age. But also it's the strategies we pick up along the way, starting from life as a baby, when we were first taught to soothe ourselves to sleep with the aid of a teddy bear. As an adult, such strategies can range from honing problem-solving skills to painting your bedroom in each new house the same comforting colour or keeping up playing the same sport.

"There is always going to be change," Curtin University School of Psychology and Speech Pathology Associate Professor Clare Rees said. "It is part of life and it is happening every day, even if only on a micro level. It all depends on the type of change as to how people cope.

"If the change is expected and planned, people tend to do better than if it is unexpected and a shock to them.

"That is when they tend to feel more out of control and this is where the issues start.

"And it also depends on the type of person they are. If they see change as a threat, they are going to find any kind of change difficult compared to those who see it as an opportunity.

"Some people just inherently prefer things to be predictable, more routine and safer. And there are others who are naturally much more open to new experiences. They tend to be risk-takers, spontaneous people who embrace change. And obviously because of that, they do not tend to feel so overwhelmed."

The difference was due to genetic wiring, temperament and how they were raised, Professor Rees said, but also how they aged.

"As we get older, most people tend to be more conservative and are less able to cope well with change," she said. "It is a gradual process. As the years go by, there is plenty of research evidence to show that you tend to become more risk averse."

For some elderly people, it could become a threat to health if they then allowed their comfort zone to shrink down to the point that they no longer ventured out into the community or even left the house, becoming isolated or depressed.

Guarding against being overwhelmed by change began much earlier in adulthood, Professor Rees said, and included making a conscious effort to remain open to new ideas and experiences and catch yourself out if you showed signs of not being able to take on new information and learn from others.

"For instance, people who carry on studying and reading and remain curious tend to be more well-adjusted happy people," she said.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/health/13293755/coping-with-change/