Are You Struggling To Acclimate To A Major Life Change?
Experiencing a big transition can make coping with everyday realties feel very difficult. Significant life events such marriage, divorce, illness, career change, a move or an empty nest can all create unfamiliar or uncomfortable feelings. You might feel overwhelmed, perhaps even panicked, and find yourself questioning whether you’re on the right path. Perhaps these changes are causing you to feel anxious, depressed, fatigued or isolated. Or maybe you’re consumed with fear, wondering if you have the strength and resources to navigate through it all. If the change is something that is supposed to make you feel good, such as getting married, having a baby or getting a promotion, feelings of shame or guilt may occur. You may overeat, overspend or increase your use of alcohol or drugs as ways of coping with negative thoughts and emotions. These kinds of behaviors usually lead to even more intense feelings of isolation and sadness.
Navigating a significant life transition – especially one that you didn’t choose – can be a confusing, frustrating and even frightening experience. The stress of the change may impact your usual eating and sleeping patterns, affect your ability to concentrate and even cause you to shut down and isolate yourself from loved ones. Life transitions can impact your self-esteem as well, especially if you are questioning your decision, your strength or the purpose of the change. You may be consumed with feelings of self-doubt and an underlying fear about the unknown that you just won’t go away. When fear takes over, it can impact all aspects of life.
Almost Everyone Struggles With Change
If you’re having a hard time managing a major change, you are definitely not alone. Although change might sometimes be exciting and can serve as a great opportunity for growth, it can also be scary, stressful and very difficult to manage. Change often comes with anxiety and grief, which can be difficult to process, especially when the change is supposed to be a good thing. When changes such as retirement or a new baby come with upset, it is common to experience feelings of guilt. Alternatively, when we’re blindsided by a change, such as a spouse unexpectedly asking for separation, or a lay-off at work, it can be hard to shift and recover quickly. Regardless of the nature of the change, we so often don’t take proper care of ourselves during times of transition. Neglecting our mental and physical health can exacerbate feelings of self-doubt and isolation and keep us from seeing the bigger picture, which is often full of opportunity.
While change is an inevitable part of the human experience, when a particularly challenging transition occurs, we usually need support. If you’re struggling to accept and navigate change, an experienced and compassionate therapist can help.
Life Transitions Counseling Can Help You Shift Perspective And Find Relief
Do you wish you could trust in your ability to face your challenges, accept the changes and move forward with greater confidence and ease?
Significant transitions can be and very stressful and confusing—but you can find new and healthy ways of thinking about your situation that offer you relief. In safe, confidential life transitions counseling sessions, you can voice your concerns and begin to process conflicting feelings, including those that might feel unwarranted, but are certainly real and valid. Regardless of your situation or your emotional responses to it, you’ll have a nonjudgmental space to express the feelings you’ve been harboring. We all experience challenging, painful feelings at times. Our work together can help you feel more fully understood and can lead to greater self-acceptance.
Throughout time in therapy, you will have the opportunity to really tune into yourself. You can become more familiar with your personal needs—as well as how to tend to them. Often, by trusting another person with your deepest concerns and fears around change, the transition can become less overwhelming. We can explore strategies together that can help you to better tolerate the stress involved with the ways your life is shifting. As you learn how to be with your feelings more, you can also develop an increased sense of self-awareness. You can start to forgive yourself for conflicting emotions, understand your humanness and come to a place of self-acceptance.
Our work together is collaborative, process-oriented and strongly based upon the strength of our therapeutic relationship. Our time together can provide an opportunity for you to alleviate stress, learn ways to quiet anxious thoughts and shift into more adaptive, healthy ways of thinking.
With the support of a trusted therapist and a willingness to explore yourself and engage in the therapy process, you can gain the confidence and insight needed to navigate your transition with greater ease. We all have struggles and times of challenge in our lives, and you can learn how to face uncertainty with increased strength and greater trust in yourself.
You may recognize your need for support during this challenging time, but still have questions or concerns about life transitions counseling…
Shouldn’t I be able to do this on my own?
We all go through periods in life when we need more support. And while change is inevitable, there are some changes and transitions that are much too overwhelming and difficult to navigate on our own. Often, confiding in another person who isn’t a friend or family member, who brings no personal history or judgment to the conversation, can provide so much relief.
I should feel happy, but I don’t. I’m worried that I’ll be judged for feeling so bad.
Through life transitions counseling sessions, you will likely come to feel understood and validated in your experience without the feeling of being judged. You are human—and going through major life changes is naturally very complicated. Our sessions together can help you to alleviate painful feelings that you might be holding. Our work can help you take in more positive and compassionate ways of thinking about yourself.
How can talking about something I really can’t change make things any better?
Often talking freely and honestly with another person can come with so much relief. It can also help you see your life from a broader perspective and start to experience the new possibilities that changes can present. We can develop strategies together to help you manage the transition with less stress and explore some options that you may have not considered before.
Please feel free to reach out.
If you think you could benefit from support of a skilled, genuinely caring therapist, I welcome you to reach out to me by phone for a free 15-minute consultation. I’m happy to discuss your specific needs and to answer any questions you have about life transitions counseling and my practice.