Life Transitions

We all know how hard transitions can be in our lives, particularly if they are unpleasant ones. We are, as they say, creatures of habit, and when an event comes about that forces change, it can be challenging to say the least. Many of us struggle in the face of change, and depending on the severity or amount of trauma the change has inflicted, women can face a difficult and painful time.

Ironically, some transitions appear to be “good” changes, which makes it all the more confusing when we don’t understand why we are struggling to cope. If our feelings are not well-tended, we may experience a variety of symptoms such as becoming anxious or depressed, acting out, turning to various substances, keeping to ourselves, or any number of coping mechanisms that appear to help, temporarily.

Life transitions are an inevitable aspect of all of our lives. It is therefore necessary to learn the skills to deal with these transitional times in a healthy and productive manner. Some of the most commonly experienced life transitions include any kind of loss, illness, moving, marriage, divorce, pregnancy, birth, caring for an aging parent or relative, children moving away and career change.