Are recent shifts in your life overwhelming you?
Are you going through a major change? Does a drastic shift have you questioning your sense of purpose or re-examining what you thought were your skills and gifts? If you’re feeling knocked sideways by a recent loss or life transition, you may wonder whom you can turn to for support.
Perhaps you have symptoms of anxiety or depression, such as irritability, a change in appetite, or decreased ability to focus. Your sleep may be disrupted. If seasons of the year or holidays remind you of an occurrence that turned your life upside down, you may be struggling to manage multiple memories and reactions.
Even something you dearly wished for—getting married, having a child, being offered a promotion, retirement—can bring on a raft of feelings, including sadness for what’s being left behind. This may be the last thing you expected.
Making sense of life’s changes is hard work. It can be tough to open up to family and friends, particularly if you know they love you but aren’t sure whether they’d understand what you’re experiencing. But if you’re reading this, you may be ready to talk to someone who can help you sort through the changes you’re undergoing.
Positive changes are stressful, too.
Transitions are a fact of life, and they come in many forms. If you’re grappling with an unexpected change, like a layoff or breakup, you’ve been punted into circumstances not of your own choosing. You are no doubt thrown for a loop. Feeling awful is natural, and knowing that others have gone through this doesn’t make it any easier to bear. It’s happening to you.
If it’s a positive change you’re coping with, the presence of varied and conflicting emotions can be especially confusing. Turning points you anticipate or may have had a hand in—a move for love or work or your kids leaving home to live on their own—sound exciting, because they move life forward. The fact is, they usually bring a dizzying mix of emotions such as optimism for the future, delight, worry, pride, and a sense of emptiness.
For most, keeping it all locked inside causes pain and usually hurts relationships, too. The more time spent ruminating with no place for the emotions to go, the more intense the spiral of negativity can become.
But what if you could talk to someone whose only investment is to help you make sense of your situation? Someone who takes an accepting, non-judgmental stance? What if you could find a therapist who offers empathy, plus assistance with insight and strategies to navigate your changes?
Therapy for life transitions offers coping tools and a trained ear.
I work with life transitions in a number of ways. By addressing the present, you and I can unpack what’s triggering the distress about the change. By exploring connections to past events and family history, we can learn more about your present emotions and make sense of your struggle. By offering you tools to help manage the stress you’re under, we can work with what’s going on in the here and now.
If you’re contemplating a midlife career change, therapy allows you to focus on your hopes and desires and the search for a meaningful work that’s a good fit for your values, interests, and temperament. Should you be a part of the sandwich generation—those who are caring for a family and aging parents at the same time—therapy is a means of support. If you’re adjusting to a recent move for a relationship or job, you and I can unravel your feelings and beliefs about those changes. If you’re undergoing major life transitions related to age, together we can unpack the inevitable grief, loss, and strangeness that come with this passage.
If it’s your first time seeking therapy, you might be anxious about asking for help with a life transition. Maybe you think you’re supposed to go it alone. The reality is that worrying in isolation produces additional anxiety. The freedom to talk in a safe and confidential setting usually gives the sensation of a weight being lifted from your back.
Sometimes those who come for treatment for life transitions express a fear of depending too much on a therapist. My observation is the opposite: Increased independence is a common result of psychotherapy.
Maybe you still have concerns about therapy for life transitions…
Therapy is an additional expense.
Yes, it is. I make every effort to keep my fees reasonable and reserve spots for sliding-scale patients, though those spots are often full. If your tooth were hurting or your back went out, you’d consult a healthcare professional. So it is with the care of your life and your emotions.
I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about this.
By its nature, change—even positive change—means loss, and in turn, grief. There’s no timeline for grieving; everyone does it at their own pace. But an essential aspect to navigating change is talking through what the transition means for you. If you find that you’re putting off dealing with the change, it’s probably time to get help. I offer a safe, judgement-free zone; a place to say everything without censoring yourself.
Shouldn’t I talk to a friend or work it out on my own?
Your first instinct may be to call on friends, family, or a mentor. It’s great you have them in your life, especially if they offer wisdom and support. But while these folks know you well and love you a lot, they often may be too close to your situation to feel neutral and give an unbiased view.
Everybody wrestles with difficult or painful transitions at some point, and the fact that you’re struggling isn’t a judgement on how strong, smart, or capable you are. Therapy isn’t about being told what to do. The work we’ll do together will help you see your options more clearly and help you make your own decisions so you can move through the world with greater ease.
Therapy offers support for the stress of major life transitions.
If you’d like to know more about how therapy can support you in managing a shift or in navigating a career change, call me at 213-807-6021 for a free, 20-minute phone consultation. Let’s talk about how I can help.
