PAG's World of Work Blog - Coping with Change

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Not all of us react to change the same way, some people, especially the younger generation actively seek and embrace change seeing it as an opportunity. These people tend to experience less stress when change does occur. Most of us, however, are naturally hostile to change.

We all react to change differently. How we respond normally depends on the nature of the change and the resources we have to cope with it. We may be excited about a new car or worried about more responsibilities that come with a promotion. We may adapt easily to steady changes but find sudden disturbances difficult to adjust to. But any change, even change we look forward to or that will be rewarding in the long run, can be stressful.

Central to all change – positive and negative – is a component of loss. You lose someone, a routine, a way of doing things, opportunities, and so on. It is this loss of familiarity that most of us dislike.

The stress caused by change can be physical or mental and can last for days or even months. Generally, the bigger the change, the more stress you'll experience. Sometimes the pressure is too intense or lasts too long and you may experience "stress overload".

Some experts liken the process of coping with change to the grieving process. One day you feel like crying; the next day you are angry at the world; the next you wonder why others are making such a big deal out of nothing; the next you want to run away. These are all reactions to the loss you are experiencing, not necessarily to the change itself.

One theory suggests that the change process, just like the grieving process, has basic stages. They are:

Fear: This includes feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, low morale, and resistance to change.
Denial: This avoidance technique is a natural coping mechanism and buys you time to process the information subconsciously.
Frustration: When realising that the change is really happening and going to affect you, you get angry and frustrated.
Bargaining: In an attempt to postpone the inevitable or find a way out, we start bargaining with yourself and others.
Depression: When the reality of the change sets in, this can make you feel down or depressed.
Testing: As reality sets in, you start looking for realistic things you can do to help the situation in any way. This is often done with the support of others.
Acceptance: Eventually you accept your new reality, let go of the past and look forward.

Everyone moves through these stages at a different pace, depending on their own personality and on the type of change they are adapting to. It is possible to get stuck in a particular phase or to cycle between these stages.

“Don’t resist, be flexible, don’t be rigid, be supple, welcome change!”

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 11:15:21 AM (South Africa Standard Time, UTC+02:00)

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