Change Can Be a Good Thing For many of us, change can create a lot of anxiety as we look towards something uncertain, yet it is also ingrained in every stage of life. Whether we are starting a new school or job, entering a new relationship, moving to a new town, or just trying a new hobby, change happens all of the time. In many ways, change can be a very good thing as it provides us with new opportunities to learn and grow. Living a life stuck in your comfort zone is not as fulfilling as taking chances and creating change. Here are a few ways that change can be a good thing. - It builds confidence. It may be cliché but there is something to the quote “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. When we step outside our comfort zone, we create opportunities for ourselves to experience success at something new. This can be very powerful in building up confidence when things go better than expected or we succeed in the new situation. Create opportunities for yourself to try something new that is just outside your comfort zone to build up your confidence.
- It builds resilience. Resilience is our ability to recover from challenging situations. While success in change builds confidence, our struggles in change can build resilience. We can’t learn how to handle setbacks if we never have them. Change provides an opportunity for us to learn new coping skills, build our relationships, and discover our strengths when we have setbacks.
- We become more flexible and creative. New experiences build our creativity too. When we are put in new situations or face new challenges, we may have to change our way of thinking or problem solve in new ways. As our creativity and resilience grow, we also become more flexible. Future change becomes a little easier to navigate as we have a lot more experience to build off.
Change can be hard to navigate – especially when the change is unwanted such as a job loss, the end of a relationship, or a death of a loved one. If you or someone you know is struggling with life changes, help is available. A mental health professional can support you in navigating change and building resilience and self-confidence to handle life changes. World Suicide Prevention Day (9/10/2023) Each year, around 700,000 people around the world die by suicide. For each death, around 20 more people make an attempt and many more experiences thoughts of suicide. On September 10th, we take time to focus our attention on education, support, and prevention of suicide. Awareness is an important part of prevention. Here are several important warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide:- Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves
- Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
- Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
- Talking about being a burden to others
- Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
- Withdrawing or isolating themselves
- Extreme mood swings
Here are several important warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide:- Don’t be afraid to ask if they are suicidal. Research suggests that asking about is not going to instigate an attempt and may in fact provide relief for the person in crisis.
- Just listen. There is no right answer for what to say – simply providing an understanding and empathetic ear can be enough.
- Help keep them safe when you can. Take steps to create space between them and any lethal means either by helping them store or lock up weapons or other means or providing them space and time away from the means.
- Take time to notice and reach out. Knowing that they are not alone and that someone cares about them can make a big difference. Be sure to follow up and check in with them regularly.
For additional information and ways to promote prevention, check out the International Association for Suicide Prevention at https://www.iasp.info/wspd/. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available. You can call or text 988 to be connected to someone who will listen and offer support in crisis. You are not alone! | 
