Navigating Major Life Changes: Maintaining Mental Health Through Transitions

Continual change is life; milestones, shifts and the unexpected. The exhilaration and exhilaration that accompany major life transitions (such as a new job, moving to a new city, marriage, parenthood or retirement) can be equally exciting, but also truly overwhelming. We’re often challenged where we feel stuck and, as a result, mental health is a major area of focus through these transitions. Keeping your mental well being up despite change is not merely making it through, it’s discovering how to adapt, grow, and blossom.

The Emotional Impact Of Transitions

Each of the major life changes impacts emotionally. Transitions come with a little loss, even if the loss is positive. For instance, maybe it’s a promotion and sacrificing everyone you know on that team, or maybe it’s moving across the country and leaving behind very close friends. Balancing out a loss along with the pressure to adapt to new situations, creates a place for one to feel stressed, anxious or uncertain.

Key to understanding is that these are all normal emotions in a transitioning process. There’s no shame in feeling vulnerable but that doesn’t make you weak as that always means vulnerability. During transitions, finding moments of light-hearted joy, such as watching your favorite cartoon or exploring entertainment online, can provide a much-needed mental escape and help reduce stress.

Embracing Self-Awareness

The first to build up for maintaining mental health during a transition is being self aware. Watch how the change is impacting your thoughts, feelings, and actions. One way to help you along is to begin journaling. It can be a place to process your experiences and identify patterns in your reaction.

It also means being aware of your limits. It’s easy to think we need to do it all as we transition. Yet it demands understanding when we need to step back and rest so we avoid burnout. Again, failing to be given time to charge does not equal failure; it only means you’ll be better prepared for what’s coming your way. During transitions, take solace in a brief moment of light hearted joy, such as watching your favorite cartoon or even looking to find entertainment online will go a long way in reducing stress and helping provide a much needed moment of escape from your mind.

Building A Support Network

Transitions can be isolating—although none of us needs to be reminded of that nowadays—and can be even more so when the transition relies on physical or emotional distance from a familiar support system. Connecting with friends, family and mentors can help ground you. By sharing your feelings with people you trust, you won’t feel so isolated and someone may also provide a fresh perspective on things and encourage you in ways you could not see for yourself.

Another invaluable resource is professional support, therapy or counseling. A therapist can also give you tailored strategies for how to deal with the emotional complexity that can go along with change and help you build coping mechanisms that fit your personal situation.

Practicing Self-Compassion

Self compassion is a powerful practice for when things are changing. Adjusting to new situations is easy to become overly critical of yourself when. Things won’t always go how you expect them to and you might get frustrated if things don’t go as planned or if some areas prove to be harder then expected.

Practice kindness toward yourself instead of self criticism. When you’re struggling take time to treat yourself like you’d treat a friend who is struggling – with patience, with understanding. Small affirmations such as ‘It’s okay to feel this way’ or ‘I am doing the best I can’ help to relieve the mental strain.

Creating A Routine

Part of how I managed the uncertainty of transitions is having a routine, to create an anchor. Although life isn’t always predictable, having a very basic daily structure can be grounding. Is it setting aside time for a morning walk, keeping regular meal times, or the few minutes to sit, spin and relax? These tiny anchors can help you get back some semblance of control.

Focusing On Growth

Transitions can be scary, but (really believe this) they are also an opportunity to grow. Having a curious and a learning mindset can change your perception on change from being fearful of it to starting to embrace it. And ask yourself, “What is something that I can learn from this experience?” The same thing, but with an aspect of myself that is flawed.

During times of change, making time to set small, achievable goals can lead to a feeling of achievement. For example, if you’ve recently moved to new city, checking out one new place every week can be something exciting rather than a big challenge.

Maintaining Physical Health

Physical and mental well being are closely linked. Physical well being often gets put on the back burner during transitions. But making regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep are all ways of making life much more mentally resilient.

And particular physical activity has been shown to be beneficial to one’s mental health. Taking a short daily stroll can boost mood and decrease levels of stress, and it might help to improve overall well being. For instance, practicing mindfulness exercises such as yoga or meditation can contribute to a sense of peace and quiet of the mind from within as well.

Celebrating Progress

Lastly, make sure you celebrate your progress, even if that progress feels very minute. Take note of the steps you’ve taken to adapt and grow, regardless of whether you’re not where you hope to be. (One) big thing: progress does not happen in a straight line and giving yourself time to see how far you have gone reinforces a positive mindset.

The nature of a transition is to be temporary. There will be a time of adjustment, but you are stepping into a new phase of life with new opportunities, and hopefully new possibilities. The good news is that you can face change with strength and grace by focusing on mental health and creating resilience, and may even come out of it not just intact but better for it.

Conclusion

Transitions in life are inevitable, but they don’t need to be ruinous for your mental health. Prioritizing self awareness, building a support network, practicing self compassion and maintaining your physical well being will help to manage the adversities associated with change while welcoming the possibilities of the change. Remember that every transition is a step toward growth that you are able to take.