Change Happens

Change happens! It’s how you respond to it that counts. Changes can be big or small and still impact us significantly.  A change in address, work, health, finances, religion, politics and many other areas of our life draws on our skills for coping.  Sometimes it seems that so much is changing it is overwhelming.

Many of the people I work with here at Stillwaters Estates are dealing with change, in big and little ways. Change in home, health and family are more common as we age and coping with it comes more natural to some rather than others.  My advice is taking it one step at a time but sometimes we need more than that simple advice.

I once had a supervisor who talked about change as a process and knowing that this process has a start, a middle and an end can be helpful.  As I was thinking about change this week I went in search of some simple advice on how to cope and found several good sources.  One way to cope is to ignore the change (or the need for change) and hope it goes away.  This of course is not the healthy way to approach change and can sometimes make things worse once you do begin to address the change.

Here are some thoughts to consider when change happens:

1. Acknowledge that change is happening and that because it is a process it takes time to adjust.

2. Try to find the positive in the change (not always possible) and think about what it will be like when you are done with the process of change.  Some people call this visualizing.  Try to picture adjusting to the change.

3.  Take time to breathe and relax.  Eat right and get some exercise.  These all help us cope with change.

Click HERE for a good resource on dealing with change.  This is from a website called Positive Changes Coaching.

Quote of the Week:

When you’re finished changing, you’re finished. -Benjamin Franklin

Happenings this week:

This Weekend:   Cheese Days Coming in Toledo.  Saturday is the 16th annual Car & Motorcycle Show, starting at 7 a.m. at the Toledo Middle School football field. Entry fee is $20. Awards will be a 3 p.m. Also on Saturday is the Toledo Cheese Days Parade, with a theme of “Giving Back.” The parade starts at Fifth and Augustus streets at 11 a.m., moves east on Augustus to Second, south on Second to Oak, the west on Oak to Fifth.  Free cheese sandwiches will served at the Presbyterian Church at noon.  Sunday’s events include a Lioness Club Toledo Cheese Cake by the Slice (noon-2:30 p.m., Toledo Lions Club Beef Barbecue (12:30-3 p.m.) and 10th annual Pie Auction (following barbecue). A full schedule of Cheese Days events can be found at www.toledolionsclub.org.

Thursday, July 14th:  Movie Night at Stillwaters Estates.  This months movie is “Woman in Gold”, starring Helen Mirren.  Movie starts at 6 p.m., come early for ice cream which starts at 5:45 p.m.

Weather:

Who is ready for sunshine?  We have had a rainy, cloudy and cool 4th of July week and we need some sunshine soon!  The weather report says sometime late next week we should start to have that sun again.