Life's Transitions

By: Christine McFarlane

I sit here and I think of all the transitions that have happened in my life recently, and I can’t help but think that if it wasn’t for a support system or having a routine set up, I would feel lost.

Transitions at any point in your life can be difficult and it is important to your emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental health that you know yourself well enough to set up things for yourself to do when moments get tough. I can tell you, firsthand that the transition I am going through now has been a bit overwhelming, and there is still a nagging voice in the back of my head, saying

“You can’t do this.”

Over the course of this past weekend, I often found myself getting lost in my thoughts and that can be dangerous territory for anyone to wander into, especially when you are prone to the type of thinking called “catastrophic thinking.” When you think catastrophically, things seem a lot worse than what they really are, and it really takes a lot of effort to pull yourself back and say

“Hey, I am okay!”

The transitional journey and the rollercoaster ride of emotions that I have been going through is something that some of my friends have filled me in on. Their advice has varied from how to deal with the intense moments of emotions, to keeping a routine and doing what it takes to help keep your sanity about you. For me, that means being creative and creating my own routine.  A routine that still involves setting my alarm every morning, so that I can still get up at a decent time. (Instead of sleeping all day like I can do at times), going for walks, giving myself time to read and keeping up my writing, no matter what.

I have noticed that when I don’t take the time to write, I feel off kilter, so even if I just sit for a minute, or write a quick note while out on the subway, at least I am taking the time to journal.

Everyone deals with changes in their lives differently, but recognizing what works for you is important to staying on your healing path, even if it takes every last ounce of energy you have in that moment.

Transitions happen in every stage of life, and I believe it’s a part of what makes our life’s journey interesting. For me, the ability to stay positive through this transition period in my life, is making sure that I stay cognizant of the path that I want to stay on- a path of wellness, and that means looking forward, with my head held high and not letting that nagging voice that tells me I can’t do something hold me back any longer.