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How can we cope with transition?
"Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want."
Kristin Armstrong
Transition can appear in many facades. Transitions can be chosen or imposed. You can change your job, or company. And we can experience transitions outside of work, from milestones such as moving countries to broader, lifespan transitions such as becoming a parent or experiencing mid-life.
As a transition Coach I often talk to clients about how deal with the emotional experience of change: the transition itself. Every transition brings up many different emotions- positive or negative.
Here are six things you can do to lower the stress and maximize the positives of the transition:
1. Acknowledge that something is ending. Recognizing the conclusion of the current phase helps us prepare for what is emerging, which is much more effective than pretending that it's not happening.
2. Honor the transition. Leaving the status quo can be a challenge, give some time to the process. Celebrate or grieve the change as appropriate; sometimes it's both.
3. Use the WOOP method and write this down:
W stands for wish. What are you longing for now?
O- is the outcome you want and what will have changed in your life if you reached it?
O- is for the obstacle: what stands in your way, to embrace your change?
P- make a plan, how to deal with the obstacle first.
Put imagination, words and action into what is developing -- envision what you desire and hold the intention that it unfolds to be even better than you can picture. Your intention is powerful and you can influence the outcome by your conscious thoughts and action.
4. Look for and give thanks for the lessons from the closing of the current chapter. Even when we are mourning the ending, find the positives in the situation and give thanks. We will be better equipped to move forward when we can learn from what is going away.
5. Seek and give support in the change. Your loved ones and your community can celebrate with you and help you. Also there are others who have experienced whatever you are going thorough; get their insights and encouragement to boost you. Get allies!
There are affinity and support groups for a diversity of issues, from school groups, self help groups, business networks and social committees that can help. Offer your experience and what you've found effective to help others. You will find connection, joy and strength in both giving and getting assistance.
6. Explore the new possibilities. List and dream of the fresh opportunities that can come about. Especially if the change was unplanned or unexpected, give yourself some time before jumping into the next thing.
Change is inherent to life. Without change, our life courses would be very dull indeed. You may not be seeking change, but when it seeks you, take heart in the fact that no one’s life ever stands completely still. People enter your world and leave it, material possessions come and go, and careers invariably involve turning points. No one ever gets through life without undergoing some type of change, so when it happens, don’t fight it.
"Light precedes every transition. Whether at the end of a tunnel, through a crack in the door or the flash of an idea, it is always there, heralding a new beginning." -- Teresa Tsalaky
Would you like to know more about transition and leadership of self? I invite you to subscribe to my Newsletter or to download my freebie on New beginnings- coping with transitions!
