Saturday, March 10, 2018

10 Ways to Handle Stressful Life Transitions


1. MINDSET. MINDSET. MINDSET!
Even in the middle of uncertainty you’ve got to continuously tell yourself that somehow, some way, “I will figure this out and make this work.” You’ve got to believe in yourself and your abilities and keep the positivity flowing through your mind.

2. Gratitude. During this transition, it’s so important to practice gratitude. Remember that no matter what you’re going through there is always something to be grateful for, somebody is always in a far worse situation, with a much better outlook on life. So why can’t you do the same?

3. Be vulnerable (in a good way).
Being vulnerable does not mean you let people kick you when you’re down or take advantage of you. It means that you understand that feelings of fear, anxiety or sadness may come with the stress of transition and that it’s okay to talk about these things. Keeping them bottled up will only hinder you.

4. Get out there and be proactive!
Try to be in control as much as you can of your transition, if you are leaving a familiar career then be proactive about finding a new position or learning about a new vocation.

5. Celebrate the small victories. You deserve the encouragement and dopamine rush. Give yourself a pat on the back for the small accomplishments along the way.

6. Let go of playing the “what if” game.
It will drive you crazy with all the uncertainty floating around you. Focus on the here and now. How are you going to make it through this day? Don’t worry about 5 years from now. Just focus on doing the next right thing.

7. Know when to say “no” and when to say “yes.”
This is so important. You’ve got to learn when to say “no” and when to say “yes” in healthy balance for you. If you’re always saying “yes” and running yourself into the ground then you need to know when to say “no” to preserve time for yourself. If you’re always saying “no” and possibly falling deeper into depression, you need to know when to say “yes” to encourage yourself to be around caring, loving people to bring you back to life.

8. Create a routine you can depend on. When stress is piling up, the best way to combat it is to control as many things as possible. There are two routines to set up, the first is a stress-response routine. When you start feel yourself getting overwhelmed you can turn to your stress-response routine to relieve the stress before it builds up. The second is to establish morning routine that puts you in control of how you start your day and can leave you feeling energized with a positive outlook for the day.

9. Shut out the noise.
Noise is any information that is negative, false, unnecessary or that prevents you from perceiving a world in which success is possible. Noise is anything that distorts your positive reality and distracts you from achieving your goals. Cancel out noise that is unusable, untimely, hypothetical or distracting!

10. Ask for help.
Don’t be timid to ask for help. No matter how you need support there are people to assist you! Don’t try to do everything yourself during this transition. Ask for help from others around you, the worse that could happen is that they say no and you’re stuck doing it yourself like you were planning to do anyway. Ease the load and dive into community!

- Erica Ferguson

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