Challenge of Change
Workplace change challenges our
adaptation skills. Although each of us
responds to change differently, you may
find yourself having one or more of these
reactions:
Anxiety
• Often, anxiety is triggered by not
knowing how workplace changes will
affect you, your job, your colleagues or
the organization as a whole.
• You may feel emotionally vulnerable
and unable to protect yourself from
the impact of what will happen.
• Usually, anxiety of this kind is based
on a fear of the unknown and a sense
that one cannot control what will
happen next.
Tips for coping
• Talk to a trusted friend, co-worker,
spouse or another confidant about
your feelings.
• Focus on what you can control — those
things in your life, both at work and at
home, that you have the power to
influence and manage.
Resistance
• Resistance is an unwillingness to
let go of how things used to be, and
often appears as anger, criticism,
blaming or withdrawal.
• Often, resistance is how we express
our unhappiness with a change.
Tips for coping
• If you feel yourself “digging in,” try to
mentally step back from the situation
and put it in perspective.
• Find appropriate ways to express your
frustration, such as “letting off steam”
with exercise, keeping a journal of
your feelings or “venting” with a
trusted friend or family member.
Feeling Stuck
• Sometimes we feel mentally
immobilized by pending changes
that leave us in a state of uncertainty.
• Not knowing what will happen next
can leave us in a holding pattern.
Tips for coping
• Switch your focus to the present and
concentrate on things you can control
or influence.
• Give the new circumstances some time
to sort themselves out before making
any decisions that will have a long-
term impact on your life.
Adaptation
Adaptation has occurred when you feel
©2008 NEAS, Inc.
ready to move on and accept the new
reality. Some people take a long time
to feel completely comfortable with a
workplace change. In fact, you may
go through the earlier stages several
times before fully adapting.
Creating a More Positive Work
Environment
You can help make your workplace
a more supportive environment for
yourself and others by:
• Practicing common courtesy.
• Avoiding gossip, backstabbing,
or spreading rumors.
• Keeping your sense of humor.
• Offering emotional support to
those who are having greater
difficulty adapting.
Enhancing Your Adaptation Skills
There is no right or wrong way to
adapt to change. These suggestions
may help you find an approach that
works for you:
• Quiet your mind. Take a few
minutes every day to shut out the
outside world and listen to what’s
coming from inside you — your
wants, needs, intuitions, and ideas.
If it helps, try writing down your
thoughts and feelings.
• Stay healthy. Regular exercise,
good eating habits and adequate
sleep will help your body and mind
adapt to stressful change.
• Be creative. Spending time in
activities or hobbies that stimulate
your creativity will increase your
ability to be flexible and build
your problem solving skills.
• Learn to live in the present.
Deal with circumstances as they
are, not as they once were or might
be. Stay in the here-and-now, not
the there-and-then.
• Be realistic. Recognize that you
can’t do it all yourself. If you feel
overloaded and need help, ask for
it. If help isn’t available, prioritize
— focus on the tasks that need
your attention the most.
• Nurture your spiritual life.
Change and its challenges are
easier to deal with when you are
grounded in your spiritual beliefs
and personal philosophy of life.
Your EAP has caring,
professional counselors
available 24 hours a day,
every day of the year to
discuss your concerns.
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