Life’s Transitions
We are all compelled to somehow believe that once we get past whatever trying times that we're currently facing, then life will get easier, and free from turbulent times. Makes one wonder is this form of thinking naive, realistic, or idealistic? Learning to better understand how one deals with transition has been the mantra of people all over the world. The untold truth of life's transitions is that there's no perfect way of dealing with them. There are many contributing factors in our lives that can add context to our particular transition narrative. These narratives can help us to better understand what makes our situation stressful and sometimes overwhelming. Life's transitions has a tendency of ushering us into a lot of uncertainty and unfamiliar rhythms. This can leave some feeling anxious, nauseous, and running on very little sleep. Just like with anything in life that stresses you out, it's always advantageous to take a step back and remember to utilize your coping skills to help you remain calm. For some people that may look like repeatedly practicing some deep breathing exercises like the 4-7-8 method, (inhaling for 4 seconds through your nostrils, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and slowly breathing out through your mouth for 8 seconds). For others, it may involve finding someone to speak to who would really take the time out to truly listen and empathize with your concerns.
Empathizing with others when they're in a season of transition can leave an indelible impression on them. You never know what someone may be dealing with in the midst of transition. Whose to say they aren't experiencing the loss of a career, spouse, friendship, sickness, moving to a new location, or a major fallout with a close family member or friend?Transition doesn't always have to be negative. It can be positive like the birth of your first child, new wedding nuptials, school, or relocating to a new city to start your dream job. Some of us will transition through life with a lot of sleepless nights and tears, but nonetheless eventually transition well. Others will not find such success, and may feel like they've been stuck in a constant state of transition. Almost as if they've never closed the previous chapter in their lives, and now more precipitating factors are being added onto their plate, which will in turn leave them feeling like they "can't win for losing." What's a person to do? I can't give you the perfect formula to help you transition well, but what I can suggest is, to ensure that you have a great support system in place to help with your transitional experience. Also, don't be in such a rush to dismiss your feelings by being overly busy during this time. Finally, have a mindset that says I need to take a systematic approach in dealing with life's transitions because they will continue to come my way, but how I'm able to adjust to them can make all the difference in the world. I wonder where you're at in your transitional phase in life? Whether major or minor, transition can leave us feeling stressed out with a lot of uncertainties. So, I implore you to take a deep breath, and remind yourself that you'll get through whatever it is that you're going through, even if you don't know how you intend to make this happen. Transition is inescapable and at times will get the best of us, but how we choose to respond to it can determine our level of resiliency in life.