Life Transitions
If our hearts are ready for anything, we are touched by the beauty and poetry and mystery that fill our world.
– Tara Brach
Life has ebbs and flows and big waves
From moment to moment, year to year, decade to decade, life is dynamic. Every breath we take is new, each day presents new opportunities, and over time we face many changes both large and small.
How you ride the waves of change makes a big difference in how they affect you. If you are able to navigate transitions with flexibility and responsiveness, you can keep moving forward with a sense of purpose.
When your get pushed beyond your limits or your ability to cope in the face of change, you can end up feeling stuck or lost in uncertainty and unable to move forward.
Bigger life transitions can cause stress, even the good ones
When you face larger transitions such as making a decision about a school or job, getting in or out of a relationship, becoming a parent, aging, making a career change, many new elements are added into your life.
Humans are creatures of habit, so facing new things takes you out of your comfort zone. When don’t have enough resources and reserves to manage the stress and challenges, you become overwhelmed.
When transitions are unexpected, undesirable, or out of your control, this can lead to even more distress and disruption.
The choice to make adult radical transitions
Change and growth are a central part of life from childhood throughout adulthood. Many significant transitions are chosen and desired.
An adult radical transition can be described as “a voluntary major change made after a significant period of stability in an adult’s life that affects relationships, identify, and life direction” (dance/movement therapist Lenore Hervey).
Examples of adult radical transitions include:
- Career changes
- Graduate school
- Marriage or divorce
- Becoming a parent
- Moving
- Spiritual pursuits
- Gender change
Even though you may want these changes, they may bring a myriad of struggles along with them. It can also be all too easy to make a decision to make a change, but have a great deal of difficulty with the layers of decision-making that follow. Getting support and building resources to move through them can be important.
How we help: Moving through change with more ease
If we are working with you to support you through a transition, one of the first things we want to do is help you pause and take stock of where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’d like to go. Bringing more awareness and intention to the process can help it go more smoothly. Mindfulness can help you get your bearings and feel more at ease.
We work with you to get a sense of the resources you have and what else you need to move step by step through the journey you’re on. Connecting to your creativity can help you to envision where you want to go and help you manage the struggles along the way.
At the heart of things, we support you in remaining connected to yourself so that you can create a life that you love.
If you are in the midst of a life transition and would like support, we’d love to talk with you about the possibility of working together. Please get in touch to schedule a complimentary phone consultation.
