How to Handle Life Transitions

People spend a significant amount of time transitioning through different stages of life. This can take the form of changing year levels and schools, changing friendships, school, tafe/university, loss of job or changing career, financial stress, family tension, relationship and loss, physical illness, car accident, becoming a parent, migration, and adjusting to a pandemic. Navigating these changes can be stressful and often trigger grief and loss when moving through these transitions, until there is acceptance and meaning.

There are five general stages of grief:

Sometimes people may experience stronger symptoms than the grief cycle.

Symptoms you may experience during a transition:

• Significant distress

• Depressed mood

• Tearfulness

• Feeling hopeless

• Feeling flat

• Irritable

• Anger

• Nervousness

• Worry

• Separation anxiety

• Anxiety

• Struggles with work/social life and daily coping

At In Bloom Psychology, Tim Bonaldi (Psychologist) can assist you with finding stability and meaning. Tim can also assist with vocational assessments to explore strengths, experience, values, interests, and explore career roles that may be a good match. Tim can also help you prepare for creating resumes, interviews and how to put your best foot forward. Psychological therapy can be a way to reduce suffering, reclaim personal power and feel empowered in exploring options. Therapy may allow you to understand who you are and where you fit in the world.

Evidence Based Treatments for helping you navigate life transitions include:

• ·Cognitive-behavioural therapy can help you to let go of unhelpful beliefs that are holding you back and create new perspective and meaning to help you move forward in your life

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can help you to accept what is outside of your control, defuse from unhelpful thinking, clarify your values, and help you to act in line with them

• Motivational interviewing can help you with decision making when feeling stuck or ambivalent about a life change. This therapy can help you explore the pros and cons of change, your unique strengths, confidence, skills and goals

Please contact Tim Bonaldi via our website to discuss suitability and to book an appointment.

Written by Tim Bonaldi.

References: Beyond Blue, DSM-5, and the Australian Psychological Society.