Transitioning Major Life Changes: Strategies and Tips

Unfortunately, change is rarely easy to accept. To us creatures of routine, change represents the scary unknown and a departure from the familiar. Even when it’s positive, it can trigger several negative emotions like anxiety, anger, and stress. And when it’s negative, it can be downright traumatic.

Here, Mente Soul discusses some major life changes and offers strategies for navigating them successfully. We also offer some psychological tips on dealing with change in general:

Moving

Moving is the most stressful life event there is, according to a StudyFinds report. It’s understandable – moving often involves leaving behind your home, family, routine, jobs, towns, and, sometimes, country. It also involves a massive amount of getting things right – or else. To make moving easier, it helps to get organized and plan things out. You give yourself room to breathe, see important details, and gain a sense of control over the whole endeavor. Following a checklist can help, as can looking at it all as your chance to start over anew with a clean slate.

Having a child

Becoming a parent is one of life’s biggest changes. When you’re welcoming a new life into your family, be sure to take care of yourself so you can better care for your baby. This can be something as simple as the clothes you wear. Invest in some comfortable nursing bras to make feeding go smoothly while keeping you feeling good. Happy mom and happy baby make for a happy life.

Divorce or separation

Heartbreaks are painful, anxiety-inducing, and often cause an identity crisis or two. But staying with someone incompatible or who doesn’t care about you (or both) is worse. Be grateful for the experience (and lessons learned) and move on. Oprah Daily offers a breakup recovery guide with solid advice – such as deleting your ex’s number, not going back to them, giving yourself time to grieve, spending time with friends, finding yourself, and imagining a life without them.

Death of a loved one

The death of a loved one tends to be a traumatic event, triggering feelings of anger, resentment, grief, and, often, bucketloads of negativity. Your focus should be on managing your grief, as opposed to ignoring it, as well as healing yourself. Spending time with your loved ones, being kind to yourself, doing things you enjoy, expressing yourself, and helping other people heal from their grief will all allow you to heal faster.

Finding a new job

Finding a new job involves putting yourself out there and proving your worth all over again. Creating a stellar resume before you apply somewhere is an excellent way to remind yourself of everything you have accomplished so far. It can boost your confidence and self-esteem levels, making impressing a potential employer easier. Be sure to include an updated version of your resume with your latest skills and experiences. If your resume is in PDF, editing may be hard and time-consuming because of the limited nature of the document. You can use an online conversion tool to convert from PDF to doc (MS Word) to make extensive edits. Simply upload the PDF file, convert it, make changes, and save it back as a PDF afterward.

Returning to school

If you aren’t happy with your current career options, you may want to go back to school to improve your prospects. Working to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing, for example, doesn’t have to be stress-inducing, however. With flexible online degree programs, you can earn a nursing degree in less than three years. Then you’ll be well on your way to a new, rewarding career.

Starting a business

Starting a business is risky, regardless of how well-thought-out your endeavor happens to be. When the stakes are high, it pays to be prepared. Having a business plan, researching the market, and developing an entrepreneurial mindset can help you find success. Forming an LLC may offer peace of mind – LLCs enjoy limited liability, which protects your assets against lawsuits. Other benefits are tax advantages, less paperwork, and more flexibility. You can file the LLC paperwork yourself, use an expensive lawyer or a more affordable formation service. If choosing a service, read reviews to find the best service available.

Some psychological tips

Change, regardless of the specifics, is easier to manage with some mindset adjustments. Some suggestions: 

• This, too, shall pass: When things get bad, it’s a good idea to remind yourself that this, too, will change.

• Attitude: You can look at it as the glass being half-full or half-empty. Looking on the bright side and being grateful is healthier.

• Surrender: You don’t always have control over life – and that’s okay. Surrender and trust in the flow of life.

Conclusion

Change will always bring with it some measure of discomfort and stress, whether you’re moving, having a child, starting a business, dealing with separation, or returning to school. Practicing self-compassion and care (aka being nice to yourself) are keys to making any life transitions more palatable and comfortable for you.