How to Gracefully Cope With Life Transitions + Change

Change can be stressful. 

Experiencing stress as a response to a change or transition in life can have a negative impact on your mental, physical, and emotional health. 

Especially if you don’t have the proper tools in place to cope with them. 

We hold onto memories and emotions from each experience in our minds and our hearts. This can affect how we move forward — or cause us to feel stuck while resisting the change.

This is why it can be helpful to take time to mindfully move from one role in life to another. 

To give ourselves an opportunity to honor these memories and feelings while gracefully shifting from one part of our lives to the next. 

When you have the necessary coping mechanisms to get through a transition — big or small — you can easily navigate each transition in your life.

Allow me to guide you through this here.

Perspectives on Transition: Shifting Gracefully 

A life transition is any major event in your life that impacts your sense of self, your purpose, and how you function in your day-to-day life. This includes things like becoming a parent, retiring from a long-time career, ending a relationship, and all the little things that happen in between. 

Change can be scary because it brings you into unknown territory. It could be something you’ve never dealt with before or bring new or unfamiliar emotions you have to deal with. Even if it’s a good change, learning and adjusting to a new routine or way of life can be difficult.

But change is inevitable. It happens to everyone.

People enter your world and leave it, things come and go, careers begin and end, and so do relationships.

There are all kinds of transitions we experience throughout our lives. Some are big, some are small, some are planned and some are completely unexpected and they can turn our whole world upside down. 

Some examples of major life transitions are:

• Becoming a parent
• Retiring
• Starting a new job
• Significant loss
• Moving to a new city
• Divorce
• Getting married
• Illness
• Buying a new home

Without change, our lives would be predictable and stagnant, keeping us in the same place. Transitions can be an opportunity to learn, grow, move forward, and create something new. 

Life Changes and Transitions: Honor and Reflection

Transitions may bring a wide range of uncomfortable feelings like fear, uncertainty, anger, grief, sadness, or self-doubt. 

But change is not necessarily a bad thing.

 Some transitions bring hope, promise, learning, and excitement. The difference between embracing change and pushing against it could just be a matter of perspective. How you view these changes can determine the effect they have on you. It can help make a transition easier by focusing on any positive aspects — if possible.

Some transitions are impossibly heavy to carry alone or all at once, and forced positivity can be counter-productive. If you’re feeling deep sadness or grief, it’s important to feel those feelings. To honor them, and work through them so you don’t carry unresolved emotions to other areas of your life. 

So take time to honor the memories of the past and what’s to come. Hold them in your heart, but take care to not let them hold you back. Reflect on what these experiences and relationships have given you and what you’ve learned from them. 

Ask yourself in these moments of reflection: 

• How has this changed me? 
• What have I learned from this?
• Is there something I can do to make this feel easier?
• What do I want to leave behind? 
• What do I want to take with me?
• What am I grateful for?
• Who do I want by my side?
• Does this align with my values?
• Where is my heart guiding me?

Follow your own timeline with this honor and reflection, and give yourself permission to slow down if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Be patient with yourself. Know you’re doing the best you can at the moment, and that feeling stressed and overwhelmed is completely normal and expected. 

Remember all the other times you’ve successfully dealt with change and transitions in the past, and use the knowledge and strength that you’ve gained from those experiences. 

I know you can deal with this too! 

It can be helpful to focus on what you can control and set reasonable and manageable expectations for yourself.  

What’s one thing you can do right now?

Then cross that off your list.

Having a support system can also be crucial to help cope with stress and give you a sense of community. Talking with someone who has been through the same challenges you’re going through now can be a helpful way to gain insight and suggestions on how to cope with them. You may even decide to seek professional help to guide you through a particularly difficult transition. Whether it’s a therapist, a trusted friend, or a life + transition coach — having someone hold space for you as you adjust to these new changes in your life can be an empowering decision. 

Developing a self-care practice can help you better adjust to a new transition by creating a routine that you can ground yourself into. To create something that becomes familiar and that you look forward to. Protecting your mental health is one of the best things you can do for yourself in times of change, and self-care is an excellent way to care for your mind, body, and spirit. 

How to Transition From One Role to Another

Life is full of tiny transitions as well as major ones. In fact, we do them every day, even if we aren’t consciously aware of it. 

Making a smooth transition from work to home, mom to partner, or from parent mode to personal time can be a challenge when you’ve been in one mindset all day. Especially when the demands and expectations are so different in each role.

These daily transitions can be hard to navigate while caring for yourself and those you love. Creating little rituals for yourself can give you a gentle internal signal that it’s time to switch gears and step into this new role. 

Some things you can do after work or mindfully transition between other roles are:

• Change into comfortable clothes when you get home from work
• Go for a walk 
• Discuss with your family what a favorite part of the day was and what was the most challenging
• Journal
• Set aside a few minutes to meditate and ground in
• Call a friend 
• Light a candle and make a cup of tea
• Eat a snack
• Exercise
• Listen to your favorite song
• Take a shower or a bath 

These may seem like small things, or something you don’t have time for in your busy day. But the real magic lies in the intention you have while doing them, even if you only take a moment to do so. The point is to bring a sense of purpose and put some thought into how you move from one role to another — no matter how small the ritual is.

The benefits of learning to deal with transitions and changes in a healthy way can make a huge difference in your life. In this moment and in your future. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, help you identify and embrace your strengths, learn new coping skills, facilitate personal growth, and give you confidence.

 As a transitional lifestyle coach, I desire to be an avenue for you that enlightens your internal wholeness and helps you create a life that is heart centered, radiant, and deeply satisfying. 

I can help ease these transitions in your life, big or small.

If you need help with a transition in your life, guidance for coping with a change, or just need someone to hold space for you as you navigate this new world — you can book a complimentary clarity call with me here.