Coping With Your Transitions (part 4)

Transitions affect different people in different ways. Some folks willingly throw themselves into a transition, while others seem to have transitions thrust upon them. Letting go of a particular situation can be difficult, and that typically at least causes us to feel some sense of loss, which may, or may not, be accompanied by a sense of relief or excitement about what is to come.


Long ago, in other civilizations, there were some public ceremonies to designate specific transitions. We don't have very many of those 'rites of passage' these days. Each of us must figure out how best to cope with our transitions. Some of that may be learned from how we have adjusted to endings and beginnings in our past. It may help to spend some time trying to remember how you have responded to transitions previously. You can start just by thinking about how you approach saying goodbye after visiting family or friends. Do you make it a long, emotional scene, or do you go out with barely saying goodbye?


You may also want to think about more recent changes in your life. What kinds of events brought about those changes? If you have not dealt with previous transitions well, you can probably change your routine by uncovering your typical response to change. Then it is possible to learn a different coping style that may be more favorable for you.


Transitions in life are a part of life and those that happen in one phase or aspect of our lives often impact the other aspects of our lives, as well as the lives of others around us. These changes can have a cumulative negative effect on us, not only physically, but also socially and mentally. And that applies not only to those changes that effect us directly, but also those that effect us indirectly because of changes others are going through.


Coping with your transitions in life is a survival skill and the better you get at it, the better your life will be. For transitions will continue as long as you continue to live. With some effort, we can be better prepared for how we will respond to future transitions.




Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a job or career change, planning for retirement, coping with an empty nest, preparing to return to school or to work, coping with the loss of job, or other life planning concerns. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them in finding solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.