“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.” – Elizabeth Lesser, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow

Change is law of nature. Without change this world would have been so mundane and stagnated. Change is what makes life colorful and interesting. It epitomizes the different shades and hues of life. Change is like a natural process that no one can stop. Can you stop time? Can you stop blowing winds? No, folks! Similarly, life transition is something that happens and has to happen.

Life transitions refer to the cumulative changes that take place in our lives throughout our lifetime. Change in age, personality, physiological and psychological states, emotions, and feelings… All these aspects come under the scenario of life transition. When change is so obvious and cannot be avoided, then why do we fear or resist change? Days change, seasons change, nature changes and everything within and around us changes. Transition is eternal and ever-pervading. So rather than resisting it, we should try to accept it.

Do you know about some of the common transitions in life? Let me tell you some:

  • Age transition from childhood to maturation, from maturation to adulthood and old age
  • Transition when a child starts to go to school
  • From home to studies and then profession
  • From singlehood to marriage
  • Transition as parents
  • Mid-life crisis
  • Retirement or loss of job
  • Loss or death of someone

Since people tend to resist such changes or are apprehensive towards such life transitions, it leads to psychological turmoil in many forms. Some of them are:

  • Anxiety, Stress, Depression
  • Fear, nervousness and apprehension
  • Imbalanced emotional states
  • Anger and frustration
  • Confused state of mind, problems with memory-attention-concentration
  • Problems in decision-making and other cognitive issues
  • Palpitations, changes in sleep and diet patterns, blood pressure changes, etc

As I said that life transition is obvious and inevitable, each and every phase of life transition tend to influence you either in a positive or negative manner. Therefore, when you confront a life transition it is better to be well-prepared for it and embrace it whole-heartedly. Let me tell you about some ways through which you can easily deal with or cruise through life transition phases:

Accept the transition

Instead of running away or avoiding the change, try to accept that it has happened or going to happen. The more readily you accept the change, the more easily you can cope with it or work on it. If you know that you would be going through a life transition phase, it is always wise to be mentally prepared for it.

Do not resist

It is a difficult thing to do because you would already be feeling nervous and out of balance. Just as change is unavoidable, similarly resistance from your side is also quite natural. Rarest of the rare people have the courage and motivation to embrace change. If you start feeling uncomfortable physically or mentally due to the transition, then it’s high time not to resist the change or life transition. For example, your child will surely start going to school one day. So, instead of being anxious or making your child anxious… it’s better to prepare yourself mentally and prepare your child too.

Have a positive outlook

Not every change in life ends up being a disastrous one. Sometimes change is good and happens for good reasons. Sometimes either change changes us or we become the reason of change. Therefore, try to have a positive outlook towards change. As I always say, “be positive, believe in yourself and believe in the best”.

Express yourself

Do not cocoon or suppress your feelings that you feel while going through the life transition. Either you feel bad or sad, thrilled or happy…. Express it or share it with your near n dear ones. That will make you feel lighter and better.

Take help

If you feel that the life transition phase is really taking a toll on you or is too overwhelming to bear, then taking a professional help to deal with it is one of the best options.

“Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.” – Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Best wishes,

Sareeta