While the scientific lens adds specific goals or milestones for what is "typical" or normative for each developmental stage, in mental health we often hone in on environmental factors or situations that are known to have an impact on normative development. In many cases, changes may be "typical" in respect to developmental processes, but simultaneously problematic in one's ability to accept or be at peace with the normative transition. When a change or transition brings about substantial stress or disruption to a person's daily living, mental health professionals often refer to this struggle as an "adjustment disorder." Basically, it is a clinical way of validating the well-known challenges that we all may face when things change and the potential for those challenges to be significant enough to get us off track from our typical daily life. While we are able to easily recognize the challenge to adjust following a tragic, devastating, or otherwise negative event, we often fail to consider that normal or expected changes like graduating or being accepted into a higher level of education, gaining a job promotion, purchasing a home, or even marrying or having children can yield unexpected difficulty and require a fair amount of conscious effort to transition well into a new norm.
While the sky is the limit to the type of changes we each may face, the process of adjusting, or in living a well-adjusted life often involves the same general strategies for navigating the ebbs and flows of life.
NTXCFT's Top 5 Strategies for Living a Well-Adjusted Life
Breathe with purpose, not just for survival. - Autonomic breathing happens every day with or without conscious thought, but centering our attention to the sensation of our breath and deepening our breath at least a few times each day can yield significant improvements to our health.
Live consciously, mindfully, and in the present moment - While breathing is a great way to become more present and mindful in any given moment, consciousness/mindfulness is a specific and separate practice that allows us to live a more well-adjusted life. While breath (or specifically attention to the sensation of breathing) is a means used to bring us to the present moment, it is our consciousness in that moment that helps us identify what (additional to our breath) is happening in the present moment. Are there emotions we feel? Are there sights and sounds we can take in? When we begin to value what is happening in the here and now and work to stay conscious and present in the immediate moments (even if that moment is uncomfortable) we experience life first hand rather than in future worries or past regrets.
Express Gratitude - This one is simple. It involves the routine practice of being grateful for any and all things that we consider to be a positive in our life. A gratitude journal is a great way to incorporate daily thoughts of gratitude and direct our focus toward valuing the opportunity that comes with breath and life each day that we receive it.
Move your Body - this advising is only for those who are medically cleared to be physically active, but with a green light from your doctor, as little as 20 minutes of light to moderate activity can make a BIG impact on our mental health. If that activity can be safely done outdoors or especially in safe amounts of sun exposure, even better!
Process old wounds, if they are holding you back - Some emotional wounds or trauma we callous over and move on from in a way that works well for us. Sometimes, however, that old wound can follow us around and rear its head at seemingly the most inopportune times. Sometimes we have the chance to reconcile our hurts directly with the person who caused us pain, and sometimes due to death or an unhealthy mental/emotional state of the other person, we are left to resolve things all on our own. Either way, wounds that hold us back or continue to bring us discomfort can be addressed and smoothed over with time and a commitment to our own emotional housekeeping. In therapy, we aim to help people do a deep clean of their inner workings by organizing and sorting out all the things (emotional experiences, meanings, or habits) we tend to accumulate in a lifetime. Through organizing our emotional clutter we are able to find a convenient place for the things we want to keep and let go of all the things that are no longer serving us well. This process of "cleaning house" can bring about feelings of clarity, rejuvenation, and peace as our headspace is a more desirable place for our consciousness to hang out and, as advised above, be conscious!
We hope you enjoy these tips and would love to hear your questions or feedback on well-adjusted living.
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