Well, what a chaotic few days we have had! Everyone seems slightly shell shocked in the wake of the referendum result. However you voted  (and within the Chalk household there was not consensus) there seems to be a slight ‘oh sxxx, what have we just done!!’ feel in the air.

Many are saying that there should never have been a referendum, some are calling for a second one, the major political parties seem to be in melt-down and the rest of Europe is behaving like a very bitter dumped girlfriend, out for revenge.

My personal feeling is that much of this panic is media-fuelled and that once the dust has settled we will all continue with getting on with our lives, there will be changes of course but these will take weeks, months and decades to unfold.

Change is a frightening thing, and many of the clients I see have difficulty with it. Sometimes they feel happier with a familiar situation, even though they are aware that much is wrong with their circumstances.

Recently my mum and dad moved to a care home as this had become the only safe practical option for them. The home is lovely and the care staff are wonderful, and they seem to be doing well there. However my mum has had problems settling and she is still struggling to accept and adapt to the change. Even though there was no alternative to residential care for them because of dad’s dementia and mum’s poor sight, mum still cannot get used to their change in circumstances.

I am sure, as time goes on, that my mum will begin to accept her situation, and through accepting she will start to feel so much better.

It does sometimes take time to accept change, and not all changes are for the better. But very often, finding a way to adapt to what may actually turn out to be a very positive thing brings a new perspective and optimism, as well as encouraging a certain resilience.

The one thing that we can be certain of is that there will always be change. Accepting this is half the battle.

Warmest wishes,

Wendy x