Back to School: Tackling Transitions
Entering into new routines often come with additional responsibilities, expectations, and needs. As this school year begins take some time to consider what needs are shifting in your life and in your household. If you’re adding new tasks, gently remind yourself you may need to take away some old responsibilities. It might feel overwhelming to take on the new change, or possibly exciting for a refresh to your cyclical routines, regardless of what’s coming up for you it may be help to pause and reflect prior to change starting.
The Window of Tolerance is a tool I often use with my clients to help discern how to help ourselves function at an ideal level of emotional arousal. In other words, there is an ideal threshold where you are able to cope with change, stress, and emotions in ways that feel manageable. If you’re outside of that threshold (or window of tolerance) you may experience hyperarousal which may show up as anxiety, irritation, feeling jittery, trouble concentrating or difficulty falling asleep. Alternatively, you may experience hypoarousal which may show up as numbness, a desire to withdraw from others, feeling stuck or having difficulty motivating yourself to complete tasks. To ground yourself into the ideal arousal zone try practicing not overloading your daily to-do list, increase supports by asking for help or letting go of perfection on each task, and increasing grounding exercises such as mindfulness meditation, spending time outside, exercising, or pausing and breathing. Your body is a powerful tool that will alert you to when you’re outside of your personal zone of arousal. By practicing listening to your physical and emotional cues you can start to move towards your ideal threshold where you feel capable of taking on change and allowing a range of emotions occur within you, without it feeling out of control.