Adaptive disorders consist of giving a poorly adaptive emotional response to changes that may arise in the course of people’s lives. These changes are called stressors and can be of different types; they can be simple, such as going to school, moving house, getting married, becoming a father/mother, retiring, etc.; they can affect a person, an individual, a group or the population in general, such as this pandemic situation suffered by COVID-19; or they can also be an accumulation of changes that saturate the person’s adaptive capacity to respond.
Human beings are innately endowed with the capacity to adapt to a myriad of changing situations; however, there are situations that are very difficult to overcome, generating resistance to change and great emotional pain.
What symptoms can alert us?
When these stressors or changes appear in our lives, which mark a before and after in our organization or daily rhythm, not all of us react in the same way, although there are some general lines that are often mixed. First we react with disorientation and some confusion, to then fall into a discouragement that can be more or less pronounced, which will mark the severity or impact of the change. It can also cause us tension, generating nervousness, worry and anxiety in the face of an unpredictable reality because of its novelty.
It is likely that if we are talking about adolescents the reaction to this situation is rebellion as a means of complaint. This can translate into behaviors that lead to the violation of rules such as vagrancy, vandalism, fights, confrontations with the authority…
How can we deal with them?
The most important thing is to detect them as soon as possible. Communication, information about the changes that are taking place, as well as the social and emotional support network will be essential to help us to accept, gathering what is emotionally involved for the person. From there, we can show the advantages and the different learning that this change can bring us, no matter how unpleasant it may seem at first, accompanying the generation of new routines, which will lead the person to adapt gradually. In this way, we can understand that this is a process that takes time and is done in company.
Sometimes, the discomfort becomes entrenched or reaches levels where the help of a specialist in Psychology will be necessary to support and guide in this process.
How can we face the changes, advantages and disadvantages of life?
The only constant in life is change. Wherever we look, everything is change: nature, seasons, animals, people… situations.
To reject change is to live in constant pain. It is true that human beings like certainties, they offer security and stability, essential aspects to grow and develop. In a constant storm our nervous system would collapse, which is what happens in situations of constant change and constant adaptations, we need time to assume and adapt, to know what the new situation requires of us, which will allow us to regain security and predictability in our daily lives.
However, change is also necessary. It is important to have a routine, but living permanently in routine melts the brain, it scorches it. We need change to wake up, to bring out all our resources, to feel alive. We don’t like it because it makes us uncomfortable and takes us out of that comfort zone that lulls us to sleep, but if we are able to see beyond the discomfort and, why not, the fear… there are great discoveries and learning on the other side of every change.
For children it will be important to have a trusted figure to help them navigate this new situation, to offer them security, coherence and consistency. In this way, any change will be better assimilated and accepted. Keep in mind that children still have to develop many resources and strengths, which the adult does have, even if sometimes they think they do not see them.