20160613 【 The Stress of Change 】

The Stress of Change
How to cope when your life is turned upside down

There's an old saying that goes, "the only thing constant in life is change."

Life can be characterized as a series of changes: starting school, graduation , getting married , changing jobs, having children , retiring, etc.

You might expect people to become accustomed to change, but in fact any change, even a positive one, causes significant amounts of stress.

And that in turn can be dangerous to your happiness and your health.

Last year i moved back to my home country after living overseas for three years,

and i also went from working to attending graduate school.

Although i was excited about my studies , the challenge was more formidable than i'd expected.

I missed my friends, regular work hours and the sense of purpose that came with my job.

I even struggled to remember how to do some things in my home country because i had lived in another culture for so long.

Eventually, i did adjust to my new life - i made friends , dove into my classes and started new activities.

But i learned just how important it is to manage these kinds of transitions well.