Life is characterized by transitions. They're unavoidable. They're uncomfortable. And they feel completely unique and isolating when they happen, but there's actually some order to the chaos.
First off, let's not confuse transition with change. A change is a decision. There's the making of the change, and then there's the process of going through said change. When we decide to make a change in our life (i.e. graduating, partnering or separating) or when life forces a change upon us (i.e. being fired, death), we're thrust into a transition state.
Second, It seems like we think making the change is the hardest part, but it's not. The hardest part is going through the transition of said change.
Transitions are characterized by feeling confused, disconnected, uncomfortable, full of doubt, and eventual acceptance. And no, I'm not talking about a grief process. That's different. We expect them to be magical and great. In many ways, they are, but not until they're uncomfortable and hard.
When we make a change or decide on making a change, we might feel really good. We're pumped, excited, and ready to take on the world (this might not be the same for when life thrusts a change upon us). We can't wait for the change to take place.
And then it does.
And then we're left questioning whether we made the right decision. We wonder if it was really that bad before we made the change. We look back and think, "I don't really want to be back in that position, but I'm not happy and I thought I would be happy! Did I make the wrong choice?!" It's confusing, to say the least.
It's also normal.
Normal doesn't mean that it's easy to experience alone.
We focus on transitions in life and help people make sense of what they're going through and how to navigate the uncharted waters. With the skilled clinicians, we're able to assist people in making meaning of their circumstances.
If you're in the state of transition right now or have a big change coming up, then reach out to make sure that you're setting yourself up for the smoothest transition possible - one where you're walking forward with your eyes wide open, ready to face the discomfort in order to get to the new phase of your life.