The Science of Adjustment: Why Change Hits Harder Than We Expect

In our last article, we explored resilience through the sunflower’s remarkable ability to follow the sun, turning toward light even in challenging conditions. But resilience doesn’t appear overnight. It is often the outcome of a process that begins with disruption and evolves through effort, support, and growth. That process is called adjustment.

Adjustment is the often-overlooked middle step between disruption and resilience. Whether someone is dealing with an injury, workplace conflict, role change, or broader life transition, adjustment is what makes the difference between feeling overwhelmed and eventually finding solid ground again. And yet, despite how common it is, many people underestimate how demanding adjustment can be both for individuals and for organisations.

Why Adjustment Feels So Difficult

Humans are wired to crave predictability. Our daily routines, habits, and social roles form a kind of internal scaffolding that gives us stability. When that scaffolding is shaken through illness, job change, redundancy, or even a happy life shift like becoming a parent, the brain reacts as though it’s under threat.

Classic research on stress (Holmes & Rahe, 1967) showed that any change, even a positive one, generates a measurable stress response. Why? Because change requires energy. It demands re-learning, re-framing, and re-negotiating who we are and how we function in the world.

Think of adjustment like learning to walk on a ship that’s just left harbour. The floor is still there, but it moves in unfamiliar ways. You stumble until your body adapts. That process is awkward and exhausting but necessary.

A Real-Life Example: Emma’s Story

Emma* was a project manager who prided herself on being organised and reliable. After a car accident left her with a shoulder injury, she was off work for six weeks. Returning to the office, she expected to slot back in as though nothing had changed. But small tasks felt overwhelming. Sitting at her desk caused pain. She was anxious about falling behind and frustrated that colleagues seemed unsure how to support her.

At first, Emma tried to push through. But the harder she forced herself, the more exhausted she became. Eventually, she broke down in tears during a team meeting. Her manager, who hadn’t realised the depth of her struggle, stepped in. Together they arranged a gradual return-to-work plan with reduced hours, physiotherapy breaks, and regular check-ins.

Within weeks, Emma began to feel more in control. The simple act of being supported, rather than judged, helped her regain confidence. Six months later, Emma was back at full capacity, but with a stronger sense of balance. She described the process as “harder than I ever imagined, but ultimately a turning point.”

Emma’s story is common: adjustment is rarely straightforward, but with the right support, people not only recover they often emerge stronger.

*Name and details changed for confidentiality.

The Stages of Adjustment

Psychologists describe adjustment not as a single moment, but as a phased process. People often move through the following (sometimes looping back and forth):

1. Initial disruption – Shock, disbelief, or numbness. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
2. Emotional reaction – Anxiety, sadness, anger, or frustration. “Why me? This feels unfair.”
3. Exploration – Testing new behaviours, seeking support, trial and error. “Maybe I could try doing things this way instead.”
4. Integration – Establishing new routines, meaning-making, and forward movement. “I’ve found my rhythm again.”

Of course, this isn’t linear. A person might feel “back to normal” one day and pulled back into frustration the next. Adjustment is less about ticking off stages and more about flexibly moving through them with support.

When Adjustment Becomes a Disorder

Sometimes, the natural stress of adjustment becomes overwhelming. The clinical term for this is Adjustment Disorder, a condition marked by disproportionate emotional or behavioural responses to change, often impairing daily life (Bisson & Sakhuja, 2006).

It’s one of the most common diagnoses seen after workplace injury, redundancy, or role change. Left unsupported, adjustment difficulties can increase the risk of depression, anxiety, or prolonged absence from work (O’Donnell et al., 2016).

This highlights why workplaces cannot afford to dismiss adjustment as “just part of life.” The cost of ignoring it is too high for individuals and organisations.

The Workplace Factor

Workplaces play a huge role in how adjustment unfolds. Organisational psychologists know that disruption at work is rarely “personal only.” A supportive culture can buffer stress, while a punitive or dismissive culture can amplify it.

For example:

• An employee returning from injury may thrive if given a gradual re-entry plan, but feel defeated if pressured to perform at full capacity too soon.
• A staff member experiencing restructuring may adjust well if leaders communicate clearly and check in regularly, but struggle if left in the dark about their future.

Studies consistently show that psychological safety, clear communication, and flexible pathways are among the strongest predictors of successful adjustment in the workplace (Brewin et al., 2010; McCracken et al., 2017).

In short: adjustment is never just an individual’s responsibility. It’s a shared process between people and the systems around them.

What Helps People Adjust

Research has identified several strategies that support adjustment:

• Early intervention: Simple check-ins and supportive conversations in the early weeks can prevent adjustment difficulties from escalating.
• Practical accommodations: Adjustments to workload, hours, or expectations reduce unnecessary strain and show employees they are valued.
• Psychological support: Brief interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are highly effective in restoring balance (O’Donnell et al., 2016).
• Social connection: Whether through workplace peer support or personal networks, strong relationships buffer stress and foster resilience.
• Meaning-making: Helping employees see value or growth opportunities in the disruption (e.g., new skills, fresh perspective) shifts the experience from pure loss to potential transformation.

Adjustment as a Growth Process

Although it can feel destabilising, adjustment is not just about surviving change. It can also be an opportunity for growth. Psychologists call this “emergent resilience” (Bonanno & Diminich, 2013), the idea that resilience develops not despite disruption, but because of it.

Like the sunflower that reorients itself daily, people can reorient towards new opportunities after upheaval. With the right support, adjustment can strengthen not only the individual but also the workplace culture, creating environments that are more compassionate, adaptable, and ultimately more sustainable.

Final Thoughts

Adjustment is not weakness. It is the brain and body doing the hard work of recalibration. When disruption comes (and it always does) understanding the science of adjustment helps us see it for what it is: a normal, necessary, and ultimately transformative process.

At the 11th hour clinic, we know that adjustment is more than “just coping.” Our psychologists and coaches work with individuals and organisations to navigate disruption with compassion and evidence-based tools. If your workplace is undergoing change or if you personally are finding adjustment harder than expected reach out today. We’re here to help you reorient, recover, and grow.

References

Brewin, C. R., Andrews, B., & Valentine, J. D. (2010). Meta-analysis of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(5), 748–766.

Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11(2), 213–218.

McCracken, L. M., Gauntlett-Gilbert, J., & Eccleston, C. (2017). Acceptance of pain in adolescents with chronic pain: Validation of an adapted assessment instrument and preliminary correlation analyses. European Journal of Pain, 14(3), 316–320.

O’Donnell, M. L., Alkemade, N., Creamer, M., McFarlane, A. C., Silove, D., Bryant, R. A., … Forbes, D. (2016). A longitudinal study of adjustment disorder after trauma exposure. American Journal of Psychiatry, 173(12), 1231–1238.

Bonanno, G. A., & Diminich, E. D. (2013). Annual Research Review: Positive adjustment to adversity–trajectories of minimal–impact resilience and emergent resilience. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(4), 378–401.

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Kendler, K. S., Hettema, J. M., Butera, F., Gardner, C. O., & Prescott, C. A. (2003). Life event dimensions of loss, humiliation, entrapment, and danger in the prediction of major depression and generalized anxiety. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(8), 789–796.

Bisson, J. I., & Sakhuja, D. (2006). Adjustment disorders. Psychiatry, 5(7), 240–242.

Maercker, A., Einsle, F., & Kollner, V. (2007). Adjustment disorders as stress response syndromes: A new diagnostic concept and its exploration in a medical sample. Psychopathology, 40(3), 135–146.

van der Feltz-Cornelis, C. M., & van Dyck, R. (1997). The conceptualisation of stress response syndromes: A review. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 66(4), 144–158.