Undergoing transitions
As we progress through life, we play many different roles. From getting married, to starting a family or becoming a caregiver for our parents, the roles we play are constantly changing and along with them, the responsibilities and challenges we face.
While it may be an exciting time for some of us, as we try out new things and gain new experiences, it can often bring about stress and overwhelming emotions as well. If not properly managed, these may affect our mental well-being.
Let’s read on to find out what we can do to cope with transitions in our lives.
What are
transitions?
Transitions are events or situations that result in changes to our lives such as in our
relationships, routines, or roles.
Common transitions we experience
While the changes we face may vary individually, there are some common ones we face as
adults. These include:
or moving out
changing careers
for our parents
How to cope
with transitions
and its effects
The changes caused by transitions disrupt our routines as well as our feelings of familiarity, comfort,
and security.
To deal with these effects, we may need to step out of our comfort zone, discard old habits, relearn, and even pick up new skills.
Here are some ways we can cope with transitions:
Take care of our physical health
Be kind to ourselves
Reach out to friends or those around us
Prepare ourselves
Set realistic expectations
Develop a consistent
routine
Remind
ourselves of our past successes
Keep an open mind
Set small goals
As going through transitions can be very stressful, it is important we learn to cope with it. Read on for some ways we can identify and manage it.
Look out for signs of stress
Sometimes, we might not notice when we are feeling stressed but there are some common signs to look for, including:
Trembling
Poor concentration
Withdrawing from social activities
Excessive worrying
When we notice signs of stress, we should refrain from brushing them off as they can be indicators of our
mental well-being.
Take breaks to do what we love
Enjoyable activities can include going for a short walk, reading a book, or even taking a nap. We can also spend time with friends and the people we care about to alleviate some of our stress.
Discover more stress-busting tips here.
During a transition, we may experience many different emotions. It is important to know how we can manage these so we can successfully navigate the transition with a clear mind. However, as we may go through a wide range of them, we need to first identify the emotions troubling us before we can work towards solving them.
Here are some steps we can take to identify and manage our emotions:
Identify the emotion
- We can use the feelings tracker to identify how we are feeling.
- We can then use the emotions explorer to understand why we feel those emotions.
- We should not neglect how we feel as we may get overwhelmed and become less effective at managing our emotions.
Know why we feel
the way we do
- We should accept our emotions as natural and not something to avoid.
- Many things can trigger our emotions, including events, situations, or even our own thoughts and memories.
- Try to understand what makes us feel a certain way and why as this would make it easier for us to assess how best to manage our feelings.
Find out how we can manage our emotions here.
