If you’re facing (or anticipating) one change of several changes, these tips will help you navigate through transition and help you land on your feet:
1. Acknowledge what’s happening. Get real about your situation and eliminate denial. Identify what you can control and/or influence to gain perspective in devising a strategy for action.
2. Invite collaboration. Brainstorming is an excellent resource for pooling knowledge by gathering other points of view for creative problem solving.
3. Ramp up self-care. Taking good care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is a critical factor in staying strong and focused. Establishing some daily routines/habits provides consistency and a sense of control.
4. Need to vent and/or have someone just listen? Build a support team of family, friends, colleagues and or professionals who will hear you with objectivity and encouragement. Surround yourself people who will help you regain your emotional and mental perspective to stand strong in clarity, confidence, faith and trust.
5. Interrupt and replace negative self-talk. Fear tends to view situations through a narrow lens with an emphasis on problematic thinking and worse case scenarios. Take charge of your attitude. YOU are the source of your thinking and behavior. The way you view a situation determines your experience. Instead of focusing on the worst, expect the best. For 3 tips on managing negative self-talk, click here
6. Be engaged in pleasurable or stimulating activities. Lighten up and take time to relax with friends and family. Building in opportunities to have fun will help take the edge off emotional stress and tension.
7. Recall a past experience you successfully transitioned. How did you do it? What can you take from your past success to use in future experiences? Drawing from personal history builds confidence and stirs the creative juices.
8. Invite curiosity. Ask yourself, “How does this situation compel me to grow? What can I learn about myself, my life from this change? What opportunities does this change offer me? What can I take from this experience to improve myself/my life?” Use what you discover to move you forward.
9. Practice being present. Focus on where you are today to guide your decisions and actions. Most fear and emotional distress are generated by keeping focus and attention on the future. Worrying about what ifs, worse case scenarios and problems keep anxiety and stress high. Bringing yourself back to the present moment will help you disengage from the dramas and stories you are creating in your mind (that will most likely never occur).
10. See yourself in the future, at the other side of the transition. Create a vivid picture in your mind of how you see your life at a future point. Be sure to add as much emotion to the image you create to help you hold this intention in your mind and heart. Make this picture positive and compelling. Incorporate this image as part of your daily routine (see #3) and use this picture to pull you forward through your transition.
11. Make a plan of action that includes daily and week goals with the vision you created in #10. Completing big and small goals support a feeling of control and sense of accomplishment. When developing your action plan, be sure to tune into your intuition and inner guidance for direction and clarity.
12. Incorporate spiritual practices every day. What connects you to your faith and trust to help you regain your spiritual center?Adding spiritual practices will help you experience greater peace and calm. Responding from a centered space invites inspired and deliberate action.
No matter what is happening in your life, the one power you always retain is how you choose to view yourself and your situation. Realize that every experience offers a learning opportunity. Rather than seeing what’s next as something to fear and avoid, you can choose to run towards the next phase of your life with excitement and enthusiasm as you open to new possibilities.
