Reacting to change

[Hylian]

How do you react to change? Like, if your routines change, plans that are made suddenly change, etc.

I've noticed that even minor changes stress me out and overwhelm me. Something like having to work an hour earlier will stress me out for the whole day, or the order of things that I do during the day changing will make me worry. If I have something planned and anything about it changes or it gets canceled I also worry about that.

I ask a lot of the same questions to people in my family to make sure that things like plans or routines will stay the same, or if something does change that I can try to prepare for it. I get really bad anxiety if I don't know what's going on or if something is going to change.

I spend a lot of days really overstimulated because despite trying to be prepared things constantly change, and most things are unpredictable. Today was one of those days and it always leaves me exhausted.

 

[Fino]

Yeah, a lot of us are like that.

 

[Suzanne]

Badly! Even when my husband got up way before he usually does, that threw me out completely and that was a recent episode. I am a time keeper and although I do find it hard to read a non digital format, my life revolves around timing and that got unbalanced when hubs came down early and set me up for my traits to really come to the fore.

If I am late, that also umbalances me and yep, anxiety is pretty high, when I sense that my routine is going to break.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Welcome to the club.

It's after midnight and I can't sleep because of the planning and participation in a memorial service and 2-day family reunion this weekend up at the family cottage. We are responsible for 3 meals this weekend,...feeding the "troops",...it's a lot to plan and think about,...even my wife is stressing,...and even though I am stressing, I have to be the strong one and support her through it. I have a feeling I am going to be spending a large amount of time trying to find a quiet corner, a peaceful walk,...whatever,...I can take a few people in small doses,...not 30+ people over 2 days. I want to be there for my wife,...but,...I worry I might start coming off a bit "weird" and having "avoidance behaviors". I don't want to embarrass her, or worse, make it feel like it's all on her and have her get mad at me.

We all have our issues,...and anxiety is right up there.

 

[Matthias]

How do you react to change? Like, if your routines change, plans that are made suddenly change, etc.

I love change. Doing the same thing over and over again is very boring. Change and spontaneity makes life interesting, fun, and exciting.

I've noticed that even minor changes stress me out and overwhelm me. Something like having to work an hour earlier will stress me out for the whole day, or the order of things that I do during the day changing will make me worry. If I have something planned and anything about it changes or it gets canceled I also worry about that.

I ask a lot of the same questions to people in my family to make sure that things like plans or routines will stay the same, or if something does change that I can try to prepare for it. I get really bad anxiety if I don't know what's going on or if something is going to change.

I spend a lot of days really overstimulated because despite trying to be prepared things constantly change, and most things are unpredictable. Today was one of those days and it always leaves me exhausted.

Most stress is self-inflicted, caused by the way people choose to think about stuff that happens to them. Therapy, such as CBT, can help you overcome those problems by teaching you how to think better which can eliminate your stress and difficulty with change.

 

[Aspychata]

I can take change in small doses. And over time. But rapid changes can make me stay home and reboot. Like my nervous system has to catch up with change.