Thriving Major Life Transitions? Here’s what to do

As the journey of life continues; we all go through some major life transitions from time to time. Whether it’s moving out on your own, starting a family or preparing for retirement, these transitions have a major impact on our lives.

It is important to have a positive mind-set to go through it.

I am no psychologist.  But having gone through a lots of ups and downs in life; this is what helped me cope with it. I thought I should share it with you’ll.

1. Have Faith In The Process

When you have no idea what lies ahead, it’s best to just trust yourself and the process. Eventually, everything  will fall in place, and worrying about the present may hinder you from enjoying the journey.

2. Picture Positive Outcomes

We naturally tend to think of the worst-case scenario so as to prepare ourselves for fight or flight. However, when experiencing major life changes, try to let go of this instinct and instead picture a positive future.

3. Make A Plan

As we work through a major life transition, it’s a good idea to become more organized. Rather than saying, ‘I’ll take it as it comes” or “We’ll see how we’ll handle this,’ which increases the amount of uncertainty, make the intentions more specific by adding an actual time to it.

For eg. If you are moving out. Start with your bank balance, see how much money you already have, analyze your income and expenses. Figure out if you can share your apartment with a roommate to cut cost or you can manage without a roommate. If you can cook and do your own laundry.

Analyzing and working towards it decreases the changes of uncertainty. Suddenly, what seems like a major life event now becomes a manageable set of actions.

4. Continue With Work As Usual

Major life transitions brings everything to a standstill. It’s easy to forgo our daily activities and pay all our attention to it. However, this could negatively affect our life and income. It’s good to keep busy while going through different transitions. This will help you cope with the situation better and appreciate your capabilities.

5. Take Things Slow

Transitions are overwhelming. If you need to take time off, you should do so as you can have time to prepare yourself. Maintain a day planner so as to know what you need to accomplish at the end of the day.

6. Take care of your self

It’s important to take care of your diet when you are stressed. Having healthy, nutritious and balanced meal which has all food group is essential to health. Besides food, 8-9 hours of uninterrupted deep sleep, regular exercise for at least 30 mins for 4-5 days a week takes care of basics to maintain a healthy body.

7. Seek help and support.

Maintaining a healthy, wide circle of friends, family, neighbors and colleagues helps in terms of coping with difficult time. It’s okay to seek help, guidance when times are uncertain. No one gets through life alone. Chances are that they are happy to help if you need them.

8. Back away from social media.

If you are comparing your life to your friends’ lives on social media, remember that most people post only the best things of life. Fancy clothes, beautiful homes, lavish vacations but not the stressful moments. This can give you a skewed view that everyone else’s lives are going just fine. Everyone has battles they are fighting; it’s just different battles with different people. Step away from social media if you are starting to compare your life to others.

Conclusion: The only constant in life is change. It is inevitable. Make the best of it. It can lead to beautiful opportunities even if the change is very difficult to cope. When we greet uncertainty and the unknown with self-care, self-love, and support, we have a much better chance of maintaining our mental health during major life transitions and finding our way to a future that holds many new adventures.