Flexing Your Resilience Muscle

Our family had a big change at the beginning of this school year - my children (Kindergarten & 4th grade) started at a new school last month. This was not a decision that was made lightly, my husband and I thought about this for over a year and a half before finally deciding to make the switch. It has definitely been a positive change overall and I think we forgot about how resilient children really can be when facing a big change.

I was most worried about my 4th grader as he had been at his previous school since Kindergarten and had a core group of friends there. I understood that leaving that would be difficult for him. The weeks before school started, there were a lot of talks and I reminded him that sometimes going into the unknown (cue Elsa 😉) can be tough but it also can be really great too. Two things can be true at the same time!

Don’t we all need this reminder in life sometimes? I personally can get so comfortable with doing the same things day in and day out that I am hesitant to change - but the change is what can make life great! Having these conversations was a bit of a wake up call to me as well. Change can be hard but flexing that resilience muscle can help us remember that difficult doesn’t necessarily mean bad. 

One thing I emphasized to both of my children was having healthy coping mechanisms in place when they start to feel frustrated or upset with this change. We discussed how to work through these emotions in a healthy way and that feeling these emotions is not a bad thing. I told them that, even as an adult, you can feel a variety of emotions when going through a big change. I shared with them some of my own coping mechanisms for when life feels overwhelming. For instance, I like to go for walks outside and I find time to talk out my feelings with a trusted friend or family member. 

Have you flexed your resilience muscle lately? If so, how and what coping mechanisms did you utilize to help you through it? Email us at dtownctc.org to share!