Life does not stay still; time moves forward and with it brings different stages of life to navigate. Some of these will be brought about by age, stage of life, or events that bring about change. Some examples may include starting a new job, redundancy, retirement, becoming a parent, child starting school, child leaving home, moving home, new relationships, adjusting to having a chronic illness or being a carer of someone who is living with a long-term illness, bereavement.
Some of these changes may have been planned or expected whilst others may not. How we respond cannot be planned but supported. It can bring about a mixture of many emotions, some of which feel more positive, others more negative.
For example, starting a new job may carry a mixture of emotions such as excitement, pride, hope, but also anxiety, apprehension, or if this wasn’t through choice, resentment. It can be helpful therefore to consider what might be able to be put in place to support yourself during the time of change.
Preparation
If you are aware of the change then see how you might be able to prepare for it.
Be careful of what you take on
It is not unusual if there is a change going on that might lead to having time that was not available before and that it is immediately filled. This can cause avoidance of difficult feelings and lead to feeling of overwhelm.
Support
Who is in your network that can offer your support ? This maybe friends, family, colleagues, specialist organisations.
Patience
Be kind to yourself. There is no rush to adjust, notice what feelings may be present and remember it is ‘okay not to be okay’. Take things at a pace that suits you.
Celebrate success
Noticing progress, however, small is important as it will show you things are moving forward.
Change is not always easy, and it can stir up feelings, quite often unexpected and if you find they are not getting easier to work through therapy may be helpful. This can show up making life more difficult to manage, affecting mood, finding it hard to concentrate, affecting relationships and general social interactions. If you would like to find out more about how therapy can help support you, please do get in touch, [email protected]
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