Learn to manage difficult life transitions.

Learn to manage difficult Life Transitions

Life transitions are challenging because they forces us to let go of the familiar things and put the future in front of us which can be vulnerable.

Every difficult transition of life is related to some single ‘Loss’ or series of ‘Losses’.

• Loss of nearest ‘Person’
• Loss of ‘Property’
• Loss of valuable ‘Possession’
• Loss of your ‘Identity’ or your ‘Role’
• Loss of sense of where you fit in
• Loss of your ‘Self-worth’ feeling

Any significant loss creates a feeling of anxiety, insecurity, and vulnerability. Because the future will pose many questions, it is normal to feel scared or afraid. We have been taught by our culture to remain uncomfortable with uncertainty and that is why any disruption in our life causes unhappiness to us, which is on a negative note.

On a positive note, such life transitions give us a chance to explore our strengths. This time of self-reflection provides us with a sense of renewal, stability, and fresh equilibrium.

There are positive and negative life transitions we all face one or the other way, some face earlier in their life while some at the later stage of their life.

Positive life transitions are like completing education, commencing a challenging career, getting married, becoming a parent, moving to a new city or a country, buying your own house, etc., let us not list negative ones.

Even though these events in our lives are normally planned and anticipated, they can be just as life-changing as unexpected events. They force us to get adjusted to new ways of living, throwing us out of our familiar zone of life. If they catch us unaware and unprepared, it may cause a personal crisis leaving us shocked, sad, anxious, and in some cases withdrawn.

The most important is to develop coping skills to face these difficult life transitions. Every individual can develop his coping skills to suit his personality but in general, he can develop based on these broader aspects.

Learn to accept

• Life transitions are often difficult but they have positive sides too.
• The transitions are part of our life and we are not an exception.
• Learn to express your feelings rather than suppressing them within.
• Focus on Payoffs- What have you learned from life transitions?
• Don’t be impatient -if life is disrupted it takes time to adjust and settle down.
• Expect to be uncomfortable and feel disoriented.
• Stay decent and sober-don’t cultivate self-destructing habits.
• Build your support system, family members, friend circle, social network to be with.
• Gracefully let go of the old things to accept new things as a part of acknowledgment.
• Learn to accept that you may not understand what and why things happened to you.

Times of Life transition often allow you to explore what your ideal life would look like. When things are disorganized and disoriented, you get a fresh outlook to arrange them in a new order. You can reflect with new hopes and fresh dreams that you might not have tried before.