Psychotherapist
LIFE TRANSISTIONS
COMMON ISSUES:
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Graduation/Transition from one grade or school to another
Young Adulthood Issues
Marriage
Parenthood
Divorce/Separation
Empty Nest
Significant Move/Relocation
Career Issues/Changes
Burnout
Chronic illness
Spiritual journey / purpose seeking
Retirement
Lifestyle change
Issues of aging
Facing questions about life after death
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TRANSITIONS CAN BE DIFFICULT
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Certain transitions can be harder to adjust to than we may have estimated. Even exciting changes such as getting married, having a baby, moving or retiring from work can have a partly negative impact on us. It is easy to find ourselves disillusioned and confused when these happy moments do not fulfill our dreams.
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Of course life throws us all unexpected events which derail our plans and dreams for the future. This can be a very sad and disappointing time as we struggle to reinvent ourselves after a divorce, illness or job loss. These transitions are difficult to accept as they intensely disrupt our life plans. Other normal changes such as our children meeting certain milestones, leaving for college, retirement and aging issues cause many of us to question our purpose. We may find we need encouragement and support during these transitions to gain perspective and establish new ground on which to stand. A life change can be your choice or come dictated by circumstances. Adaptation is facilitated by the ability to prepare, be flexible, accept what is happening, and set realistic goals.
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CROSSING THE BRIDGE
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Take a moment to reflect upon your own life. Have you ever experienced an event that has led you to question your prior held beliefs? How did those questions affect you? Resistance to change is a natural human instinct, due to our innate desire for self-preservation or, as in the case of lifestyle changes for example, our solid captivity to pleasure traps. However, just because we feel like shying away from life’s transitions doesn’t necessarily mean we should. Certain changes can be good for us. Others may be tragic. Yet even then, the right approach to handling that change can lead to positive personal growth. Sometimes we may not feel like we can get through life’s transitions alone. Reaching out for help is a positive and courageous act. If you’re having trouble understanding or dealing with a life change, therapy can help you cross that bridge with grace.
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How Therapy for Life transitions Can Help
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Therapy can help us work through the feelings of confusion and loss during difficult life transition. Many of the transitions we experience, involve grieving losses in order to embrace the next phase of our life. In a therapeutic relationship, you can find the support and encouragement to navigate these emotional hang ups and find peace and possible solutions for the questions you are asking. In the West we are not very community-oriented unlike in cultures where communities gather in to rejoice, grieve and honour individuals' life transitions, big or small. Still as social beings, everyone of us benefits from an empathetic word, smile or touch, let alone a whole process of healing inner work over life transitions. Don't be left alone with your precious period of change. Let someone be part of it and honour it with you.
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