Overview
In this module, you’ll learn how to recognize change, use critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence to enhance your coping strategies, and learn how to navigate change by following a suggested approach.
To access the non-conforming version of this module, see the Coping with change learning module.
Below is the transcript for the Coping with change YouTube video.
Transcript
[Background music plays for the duration of the video.]
(Visual: Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, compliments of Canada Life logo fades in and then out.)
(Visual: The scene shifts to a landscape of trees in the fall with leaves changing from green to shades of red and orange. The trees surround a river.)
Change is constant. Our quality of life depends on how we react to change. If we resist change that's outside of our control, we can overwhelm our coping strategies.
(Visual: The 5 A's – Anticipate, Accept, Alter, Adapt, and Avoid, are shown in an infographic on screen)
The 5 A's – Anticipate, Accept, Alter, Adapt, and Avoid – are approaches that can help you navigate even the most difficult changes.
(Visual: An illustration of binoculars is animated onto the screen and the word “Anticipate” fades in and then out)
The first A is to anticipate. Preparing for change is more than just acknowledging that it'll happen. It involves staying informed and planning.
(Visual: A video appears of a person planning a hike, checking the weather on their phone to symbolize the idea of preparation.)
Imagine planning a hike; checking the weather forecast and knowing the terrain is key to preparing effectively.
(Visual: A visual of the person on their hike, dressed for the cooler weather.)
By considering potential changes, we prepare ourselves to respond to challenges that arise.
(Visual: An illustration of a person meditating is animated onto the screen and the word “Accept” fades in and then out)
Acceptance is about acknowledging what is. Much of our stress comes from wishing that people or situations were different than what they are.
(Visual: A video appears of a person working in a café who looks stressed.)
Consider a sudden change in demands at work. It might be human nature to complain or resist the change, but this can add to our stress, especially when the change is inevitable.
(Visual: The words spoken appear in white text on a purple background)
Once we let go of resistance, we have more energy to focus on ways to meet the demands that are effective and less stressful.
(Visual: An illustration of foot steps are animated onto the screen and the word “Alter” fades in and then out)
Sometimes altering our environment or actions helps us to change what we can control to make the situation better.
(Visual: A video appears of a lady re-organizing her desk to make her environment more conducive to productivity.
The text spoken appears on the right side in white writing over a teal background.)
For example, you may want to organize or redesign your workspace to make it easier to meet new work demands.
Altering our environment to deliberately improve our efficiency or well-being can help us manage change better.
(Visual: An illustration of a magnifying glass is animated onto the screen and the word “Adapt” fades in and then out)
To adapt to change means that you rethink your situation in a way that helps you move forward. You can do this by reading about similar situations, speaking to others who have been through it, or just taking time to reflect.
(Visual: A video appears of a person with a hi-vis vest and hardhat is sitting at a desk working on a laptop. The text spoken appears on the right side in white writing over a green background.)
New work demands may be challenging because we are unfamiliar with them or worried about failure.
By reframing, “I can't do this,” to “What do I need to make this less stressful?” you are adapting your thinking towards potential solutions.
(Visual: An illustration of a clipboard with a football route is animated onto the screen and the word “Avoid” fades in and then out)
Sometimes you can avoid a change, but most often you can't. What you can avoid is unnecessary stress during times of change.
(Visual: A video appears of two women in an office talking with one another.)
When we minimize other stressors, we improve our capacity to deal with the stress of change.
(Visual: A video appears of dense traffic on a highway.)
To deal with your changed work demands, you might adjust your work hours to avoid the stress of rush hour traffic.
You can also avoid the stress of illness or burnout by focusing on your own self-care during times of change.
(Visual: A video appears of a man driving after rush hour and smiling. There is no other traffic seen.)
When we avoid unnecessary stress, we conserve our limited energy and focus to deal with what's unavoidable.
(Visual: The visual of the 5 A's – Anticipate, Accept, Alter, Adapt, and Avoid, is repeated as an infographic on screen)
Learning to use the 5 A's as part of a critical thinking approach to any change or stressor in your life can help you navigate even the most difficult situations.
It may even allow you to see change as an opportunity for growth and development.
(Visual: The Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, Compliments of Canada Life logo animates in and out.)
[The music fades out.]
(Visual: In white writing on a teal background, the following message appears: “Search for other useful tips on the Workplace Strategies website. Clwsmh.com/elearning.”
The 5 As
Problem: Life can present a lot of chaos and change. Learning to make the best out of any situation requires both critical thinking and emotional intelligence.
Change is one of the few things you can count on in life, and at work – and it can often be a source of stress. This stress may arise from fear of the unknown or fear of failure. However, there are critical thinking skills you can use to help you cope or navigate through difficult change, or any other source of stress.
As you saw in the intro video, we refer to these skills as the 5 As. The 5 As are an approach that can help you with even the most difficult changes.
Anticipate
Prepare for change.
Accept
Recognize what you can’t control.
Alter
Change what you can.
Adapt
Rethink your situation.
Avoid
Minimize unnecessary stress.
Change is constant. Our quality of life depends on how we react to change. If we resist change that’s outside of our control, we can overwhelm our coping strategies.
Navigating reactions to change
How do you react to change?
Think about a time when you've had a change forced on you in the past. Have you ever had one of these reactions?
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"I’m happy with the way things are, why change?"
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"This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard!"
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"That will make it more difficult."
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"It’s not going to work!"
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"But I just learned the old way!"
These kinds of thoughts, or “worst-case scenario” thinking, are normal when we’re feeling stressed, but can get us stuck and make us resist change. Challenging our negative thoughts or assumptions can help us see the big-picture reality of a situation and potential solutions to address our fears.
Using the five reaction examples above, let's see how Aliyah would respond using the 5 As.
Getting unstuck
"Hi, my name is Aliyah. I will address each of those reactions using the 5 As."
- Statement: "I’m happy with the way things are, why change?"
- Anticipate: "Change is inevitable. I’ll be able to deal with this one."
- Statement: "This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard."
- Accept: "This wouldn’t have been my idea, but how can I make the best of it?"
- Statement: "This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard."
- Alter: "Here are some ways I think we can make this even easier."
- Statement: "It’s not going to work!"
- Adapt: "I think this is what’s needed to make this work!"
- Statement: "But I just learned the old way?"
- Avoid: "Just like I did the first time, I’ll be able to learn this by focusing and minimizing my other stressors."
A new perspective
As mentioned, learning to use the 5 As as part of a critical thinking approach to any change or stressor in your life can help you navigate even the most difficult situations. It may even allow you to see change as an opportunity for growth and development.
The following content dives deeper into the 5 As and explores how each offers a new perspective on managing change and reducing the stress it can cause.
Anticipate
Prepare for change.
You’re less likely to be stressed by the idea of change if you can anticipate, expect and prepare for constant change in your life.
Over the course of your working life, you’ll experience changes in job roles, leadership, technology, job demands, co-workers, customers, even termination or layoff. Anticipating that change can and will happen can reduce feelings of shock and discomfort when they do occur. This doesn’t mean worrying about what might happen, but rather considering how you can prepare yourself for if and when it does happen.
For example, keeping your skills up to date and staying informed about advances in your field of work can help you be ready for change.
Accept
Accept what you cannot control.
Sometimes people will react with shock or anger when they lose their job. They may blame the organization, their boss or others, and spend a lot of time discussing how unfair it was.
Although this is a normal reaction, it becomes problematic when it prevents us from moving forward.
How might we resist accepting what is?
- Wanting retribution.
- Questioning why.
- Hoping they’ll reconsider.
There are many things that are within our control and should be changed. There are also things that are outside of our control that we cannot change. If we can accept those things that we cannot change as simply being what they are, it is easier for us to decide if we want to avoid, alter or adapt to them.
What could happen if we simply accepted that it is what it is?
- Questioning why
- Consider the objective facts and move on.
- Wanting retribution
- If relevant, exercise your legal rights, and find a way to move forward.
- Hoping they'll reconsider
- Ask if that's possible and plan for if it doesn't happen.
Accepting is not giving in.
It is thinking critically about the reality of the situation as it is, rather than wishing it was different. Once you can accept what it is, you are better able to choose how you move forward. The other As will also help you consider how you might do that.
Alter
Alter your situation.
Altering your situation means changing what you do, or changing the surrounding environment, to reduce your stress. Sometimes that means reaching out for resources, changing your daily routine or organizing your workspace to be more comfortable.
In our example, you might alter your situation by:
- Engaging in self-care, for example taking walks or spending time with friends.
- Applying for employment insurance.
- Working with a career coach.
- Updating your resume.
- Reorganizing your home workspace if you have one.
Adapt
Adapt your internal thinking.
If you’ve lost your job, you may think you’ll never find another that you enjoy as much, or that you were a failure on the job.
How might our thoughts prevent us from dealing with change? We may think:
- I failed!
- I’ll never be happy again!
- There are no other job opportunities!
What would happen if we were able to adapt our negative thinking to focus on the positive?
- I failed!
- What can I learn from this experience?
- I’ll never be happy again!
- What else brings joy to my life?
- There are no other job opportunities!
- I will find new job opportunities!
Adapting your internal thinking doesn’t mean “thinking happy thoughts” when you’re faced with a difficult situation. It means challenging unhelpful and negative thoughts and replacing them with more realistic and helpful ones. This can help you move forward.
Avoid
Avoid unnecessary stressors.
Most of us have multiple stressors at any given time. Not all of them are avoidable. This entire process can help you cope with change and stressors you cannot avoid.
One strategy is to minimize or avoid the stressors that you can control, which may include:
- Tasks that can be done by somebody else.
- Tasks that can be done later or not at all.
- Events that are optional for you to attend.
- Places or people that you know stress you out.
By reducing unnecessary stress, you become better able to handle stress you can’t avoid.
You can also increase your capacity to deal with unavoidable stress by engaging in activities that promote wellbeing, such as:
- Get enough sleep
- Eat healthy foods
- Spend time with supportive people
- Organize your living space as you like it
- Limit or eliminate substances that can harm you
- Get exercise and fresh air daily
- Engage in hobbies or activities you enjoy
Avoiding is not about being in denial of what you are experiencing. It involves critically evaluating your life and consciously choosing to control what you can, thereby minimizing unnecessary stress.
Take action
The 5 As help you consider your options to move through times of difficult change or stress. In addition to what you come up with, here are a few practical actions you might take:
- Confirm details or facts you aren’t sure about.
- Write out your concerns about the change to address them.
- Ask someone you trust to help you consider your options.
- Set new priorities, goals and objectives for yourself.
- Find humour in the situation if you can.
If the stress of change and uncertainty is getting to be too much, there’s no shame in reaching out for help from a mental health professional.
Knowledge check
Now it's your turn!
Answer the following questions to test your knowledge on what you've learned in this module.
See Responses below to see the answers to the following 2 questions.
- Stress and resistance to change is common, and the source of this is often fear.
- True
- False
- What’s the most effective strategy for coping with unavoidable change?
- Align with those who also disagree with the change.
- Critically think about your options.
- Do it even though you resent it.
- Continue to voice the reasons you don’t want the change.
- What happens when we resist change or use 'worst case scenario' thinking? Choose 2 of the following:
- We can get stuck
- Life is easier
- Our situation improves
- We can overwhelm our coping strategies
- The 5 As are: Anticipate, Accept, Alter, Adapt and Avoid.
- True
- False
Responses
- True. Change can often cause people to feel a lack of control or a sense of uncertainty that can trigger fear, negative thinking and resistance to change. When you explore your options related to the change it’s easier to challenge your fears and move through them. This is true even when the change is not good for your situation.
- Critically think about your options. When change is truly unavoidable, it can be a waste of your energy to resist. Critically thinking about the change or stressor can help you discover potential options or opportunities for your own wellbeing that you may not have considered.
- We can get stuck and We can overwhelm our coping strategies. When we resist change or use 'worst case scenario' thinking, we can get stuck and overwhelm our coping strategies. This makes it harder to get unstuck.
- True. The 5 As are: Anticipate, Accept, Alter, Adapt and Avoid.
Tip sheet and resources
The 5 As - Anticipate, Accept, Alter, Adapt and Avoid are an approach to dealing with change.
We’ve put together a tip sheet with the main learning points of this module. We recommend you save or print it as a reference. There are also free resources you can use if you want a deeper dive on this subject.
- Coping with change tip sheet | PDF
- Coping with change learning module (non-conforming)
- Coping with change YouTube video
- Coping with change webpage
We welcome your feedback on this module or any of our resources. Please contact us with your suggestions.