Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get StartedLifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen you face a stressful event or major life change, you can take some steps to care for your emotional well-being. Do what works for you. Some examples include:
- Talking things over with caring family and friends
- Trying to keep eating a healthy diet
- Sticking to a regular sleep routine
- Getting regular physical activity
- Engaging in a hobby you enjoy
- Finding a support group geared toward your situation
- Finding support from a faith community
If it's your child who's having difficulty adjusting, you can help by:
- Offering encouragement to talk about his or her feelings
- Offering support and understanding
- Reassuring your child that such reactions are common
- Touching base with your child's teacher to check on progress or problems at school
- Letting your child make simple decisions, such as what to eat for dinner or which movie to watch
If you use these kinds of self-care steps but they don't seem to be helping, be sure to talk to your health care provider.
- Adjustment disorders. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Strain JJ, et al. Adjustment disorders. In: Hales RE, et al., eds. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Adjustment disorders. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/adjustment/Patient/page4. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Adjustment disorders. In: Sadock BJ, et al. Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Ahmed SM, et al. Psychosocial influences on health. In: Rakel RE. Rakel: Textbook of Family Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/1209963843/0/1481/1.html?tocnode=53391787&fromURL=1.html. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Clarkin JF, et al. The role of psychiatric measures in assessment and treatment. In: Hales RE, et al., eds. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.
- Bray JH, et al. The family's influence on health. In: Rakel RE. Rakel: Textbook of Family Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/120920914-7/0/1481/25.html?tocnode=53391850&fromURL=25.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2467-5..50005-1--cesec2_64. Accessed Feb. 17, 2009.