Tip of The Week 9/9/13

This comes from 100 Simple Secrets of Happy Families

Adjustment Never Ends

Creating a satisfying life is a lot like building a sandcastle. your life may look great for a moment, but it will soon change, whether you want it to or not. The point, then, has to be to enjoy every step of the process. Enjoy the work, enjoy shaping things to come, and even enjoy when your efforts have to stop and you just have to wait for what happens next.

We all have to work on strategies for living with and accepting change, though this can be a very hard thing for so many of us, especially those with challenges such as PTSD, OCD or those on the spectrum. Change is inevitable, but for many it happens, literally, kicking and screaming. In our work with the horses, we help our clients become more comfortable with transitions and work on developing coping skills for dealing with change may feel overwhelming.

Recently I was working with an adult client with anxiety issues. She has chosen Ruby as her horse and, since Ruby has such an unusual coat (she is an American Bashkir Curly), I had my client work on memorizing the feel of stroking/petting her. I encouraged my client to see if she could pull that memory up “visualize yourself petting Ruby and remember how wonderful her coat feels under your fingers” to see if this would help soothe her. It was really wonderful to have her report that she had in fact used this technique several times during her very stressful week “and it really helped!”.

If you, or someone you know, struggles with the daily challenges of change, we would love to have you come out for a visit, meet our wonderful horses, and learn more about how work with horses can help. Call or e-mail to arrange a visit.

Studies focusing on the ability of people to maintain happiness as hey age reveal that an openness to change in both family life and work life is associated with a 23% greater likelihood of maintaining high levels of life satisfaction.       Crosnoe and Elder 2002

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Anxiety Disorders, Asperger's, Autism, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, OCD, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Teens. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *