Life Changes Can Be Challenging

Are you faced with an overwhelming life change? Something unexpected may have happened, or you may not know how to navigate a change of your own choosing.

Have you been offered a new job or promotion? You may have worked hard to accomplish a career goal and want to ensure a smooth transition. If the change was unplanned, on the other hand, you may be wondering what to do.

Have you recently begun or ended a relationship, or are you contemplating or going through a divorce? If you’ve just begun a relationship, you may be feeling apprehensive. If you’re going through a breakup, you may be experiencing uncertainty, anger, and maybe even depression as you adjust to the idea of your new future and let go of “what could have been.”

Maybe you are overwhelmed by the demands of parenting? Or, if you are expecting, you may be wondering how your life will change after baby arrives? Whether your child is an infant, toddler, or teenager, your responsibilities may feel like more than you can handle. Or perhaps you’re adjusting to life as an empty-nester? All of these transitions can be stressful, especially if you’re already caring for other young children or aging parents.

If it feels like life is moving faster than you can keep up, you may struggle with anxiety, depression, or a lingering sense of unsettledness. Transitional periods are unavoidable, and how you respond to them can have just as big an impact on your future as the changes themselves.

Everyone Struggles With Change

Difficulty coping with change is very common. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, an estimated 5 to 21 percent of psychiatrists’ adult patients have been diagnosed with adjustment disorder.

As relationships, jobs, and other experiences come and go, it is inevitable for every one of us to experience grief, loss, and uncertainty at some point. From sudden, unexpected disruptions to long-term, conscious choices, life transitions can rock your very foundation, leaving you feeling shaken and out of balance.

Transitions counseling can help you navigate these opportunities for change to discover and embrace your most true and authentic self. The greater the challenge, the greater the potential for personal growth.

How Life Transitions Counseling Can Help

Therapy isn’t a silver bullet, magic potion, or pill. It’s hard work, but it’s also a powerful tool for transforming your life’s risks into your life’s greatest rewards. Within the dark places of your life hide the gems of transformation, and a skilled therapist can help you find them.

If you feel like life is constantly putting obstacles in your way, I’ll show you how to depersonalize your negative experiences, making it easier to accept and overcome them. I’ll teach you to recognize negative thought patterns and reframe challenges as opportunities for growth.

I’ll encourage you to mentally slow down by teaching you mindfulness exercises that draw your focus away from your thoughts toward your physical body. As you begin to feel more grounded, you may discover that the anxious, fearful, or impulsive thoughts you’ve been giving your attention to don’t represent the reality of your situation, however difficult and challenging it may be.

We’ll brainstorm ways to bring more lightness into your life. In some cases, you won’t be able to avoid certain situations, such as working a stressful job that, nonetheless, pays the bills. To mitigate those factors, I’ll help you develop a self-care plan that will shore you up against on-going stressors.

I’ll help you replace impulsive behaviors with healthier, more conscious ones. Instead of immediately accepting every negative thought that comes into your head, you’ll learn to question assumptions and approach life with greater curiosity. I’ll encourage you to take small steps in your daily life that gradually expand your comfort zone. As a result, you may find what you feared isn’t as threatening as you imagined.

The truth is, life is messy. Working with a skilled and compassionate therapist can help you learn to embrace life in all its complexity and uncomfortableness. Instead of cursing every storm that comes your way, you’ll learn to rely on the anchor of your own resilience. Situations that used to feel unmanageable will inevitably arise, but you’ll be better positioned to work through them.

With time and effort, you can start to feel calmer and more confident. Therapy can help you develop trust in your ability to handle whatever circumstances life may present to you.

As you consider counseling, you may be wondering…

Will talking about my problems make me feel worse? I just want to feel better.

It’s perfectly understandable to want to feel better as soon as possible! But stop-gap measures such as stress eating, abusing drugs/alcohol, or other emotional quick-fixes don’t last and can even make things worse. Engaging in transitions counseling can help you fully honor where you are in your life and explore where you want to be. In turn, you can initiate deep, meaningful healing and longer-lasting change.

I’m not sure I have time in my busy schedule.

It’s easy to view therapy as an indulgence. Juggling a career, family, and other obligations might leave little time for therapy. But the relatively small investment in time will yield worthwhile long-term gains. You only get one chance at this life, and therapy gives you the opportunity to maximize your potential to create and live the life you truly want!

It doesn’t seem worth the investment.

Therapy seems expensive if you only consider the hourly cost of the session itself. But most of the real work doesn’t happen in the session—it happens when you take what you’ve learned into the real world. When you recognize how your thoughts and behaviors are contributing to your suffering, you will make more conscious choices, leading to continuous improvement.

You’re not just paying for an hour or so of help when you attend a session. You’re paying for a chance at a happier, more fulfilling life!

Navigate Changes With Confidence

Transitions counseling services can help you stop fighting life and start working with it. I’d love the chance to talk and explore whether we’re a good fit for each other. Please call 720 815 8368 for a free, 20-minute phone consultation.