Maybe
you get a new job, have to change insurance carriers thus needing new
doctors, have a baby shower at your home (which is currently a
disaster), say goodbye to a dear friend, experience family financial
restraints, think about a beloved spouse going out of town, an ill
loved one, the departure of a supervisor, the increase in cost for
doctor visits/prescriptions while experiencing a loss of cash
benefits, an impending deadline on a project you’ve never
completed before, the death of your pet, a toilet that doesn’t
work, living with a friend while your housing situation is sorted
out, the suicide of a beloved celebrity, a new second job, or simply
the change of taking a detour to work because there was road
construction.
Whatever
it is, change is rough.
With
the exception of the road construction, all of the above things are
on my mind today. I feel completely scattered. There were times I
felt like my chest was going to pop and times that I fought back
tears. At one point, I stood pouring a glass of milk, only to realize
moments later that I’d spilled it all over my counter and the
kitchen floor.
Where
is my mind? That’s a good question. I’m not quite sure.
Change
happens. The problem is sometimes a bunch of change happens at the
same time. Regardless of the type of change, it causes stress. My dad
taught me at a very young age there was eustress and distress.
Eustress is the reaction to good stuff that happens and distress is a
result of the bad. Either way, it’s still stress and dealing
with it can be stressful.
If
you’ll indulge me, in an effort to relieve my distress, I’d
like to share with you what I’ve done and what I will do to
cope with my many changing situations.
I
made a list of all the things that I am and will be dealing with. I
tried to see if there was something I could do about any of them, but
in my mind there wasn’t. So I moved on to my next option —
call a friend or two.
Gratefully,
one of my friends is a psychiatric nurse and an amazing one at that.
She helped me think through some things that I could delegate and
other things that I could easily take care of with a simple email or
phone call. She helped me make a plan of attack and invited me to
call her the following day.
Then
I called my counselor and made an appointment. Fortunately, he had
an opening. We discussed on the phone for a bit all the things on my
list and he pointed out some ideas that may help. Each of the ideas
were ones that I could have probably figured out if I’d had one
to five things on my list of change, but since I had 18, my brain
just wasn’t functioning properly.
After
that I will make that call and send out those emails to delegate some
of this workload. And then I’m going to take a break from my
responsibilities this evening and breathe. While breathing, I might
even pop in my earplugs so that I can quiet all the external noise
that my mind simply can’t filter at the moment.
Then
I’ll quietly start a load of laundry and while it’s
going, I’m going to play with my beads and maybe even make a
necklace.
By
hook or by crook I’m going to bed early. It’s going to be
difficult because my sweetie and my daughter will be making the final
efforts to get out the door on time tomorrow morning. But, I’m
going to do what I can to get the sleep I need because tomorrow will
be a ton better if I wake up having slept enough.
Tomorrow,
I will look at that list of my major changes, smile at the things
I’ve already taken on and then work on a plan to help me deal
with the other things. Baby steps. I can do this. You can, too!
Sarah Price Hancock, a graduate of San Diego State University's rehabilitation
counseling Masters of Science program with a certificate psychiatric
rehabilitation.
Having embarked on her own journey with a mental health diagnosis, she is
passionate about psychiatric recovery. She enjoys working as a lector
for universities, training upcoming mental health professionals.
Sarah also enjoys sharing insights with peers working to strengthen
their "recovery toolbox." With proper support, Sarah
knows psychiatric recovery isn’t just possible — it’s
probable.
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Sarah served a Spanish-speaking
and ASL mission for the LDS Church in the Texas Dallas Mission. She
was graduated from Ricks College and BYU. Sarah currently resides in
San Diego and inherited four amazing children when she married the
man of her dreams in 2011. She loves writing, public speaking,
ceramics, jewelry-making and kite-flying — not necessarily in
that order.