Hi!
*UPDATE!* 📣📣
I find myself once again transitioning to "what's next." I'm excited, nervous, and ready to take on the future!
After three years, we will be leaving Costa Rica and moving to… Spain! This will bring us closer to our children and grandchildren while allowing us to travel through Europe like we've always wanted to.
We've enjoyed our time in Costa Rica —a beautiful country with beautiful people. We've made friends, enjoyed new activities, had time to work on our businesses, and now it's time to keep going!
So, we'll be hitting the road with our laptops as digital nomads. ✈️🎒🇪🇸🐩🐩
Whether transitioning between jobs, entering your slow-go time or retirement, traveling, or moving abroad, transitioning to new situations is always tricky. Emotional and physical feelings can present themselves. In my experience, nothing will test you like life changes.
I've learned to thrive in Change, but not without purposeful practices to help me. So, here are some of my favorite tips for embracing transition in life while staying healthy.
Acknowledge Your Feelings
Emotions can run high during transitions, and we have to recognize and validate these positive or negative feelings. Some feelings include anxiety, excitement, embarrassment, fear of judgment, and worry about making mistakes. Bottling up these emotions can lead to increased stress and anxiety.
How to Do It: Sit with your emotions, allowing yourself to feel whatever comes up without judgment. Journaling or talking to a trusted partner or friend can help process these emotions.
2. Focus on What You Can Control
Transitions always bring a sense of uncertainty and lack of control. With a transition comes the unknown. Focusing on aspects you can control can reduce feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
How to Do It: Identify small, manageable tasks you can accomplish, like organizing your space, having a daily routine, or taking regular time to do something you enjoy. This approach helps ground you in the present and provides a sense of accomplishment, while other things may feel out of control.
3. Cultivate Resilience (This is my most important tip)
Being kind to yourself during a transition is vital. Getting critical, questioning yourself, and thinking the worst is easy. Self-compassion helps build resilience, allowing you to bounce back from setbacks more effectively. Transitions always involve setbacks.
How to Do It: Practice self-compassion by speaking to yourself as you would to a friend. Replace negative self-talk with affirmations and remind yourself that struggling during times of Change is okay. Remember, don't look at others and think they have it all figured out because they don't.
4. Stay Connected with Your Support System
Emotional support from friends, family, or therapists can be invaluable during a transition. As long as you're seeking support from those you can trust to listen and support you, all is good. Reminder: seeking support doesn't mean seeking advice. 😳 These discussions can mitigate feelings of uncertainty and isolation.
How to Do It: Try to stay in touch with your support network. Share your experiences, seek advice, or ask supportive friends and family to listen.
5. Embrace Change as an Opportunity for Growth
Viewing transitions as opportunities rather than challenges can help shift your mindset from fear to curiosity and growth.
How to Do It: Reflect on what you can learn from this transition. What new skills or perspectives might you gain? How much fun will it be? 🙌🏻 🤩
Setting intentions to grow through the process can transform a potentially tricky time into a period of personal development. Change is a great time to shift narratives from doom and gloom to possibilities! It's like building muscle and requires practice.
6. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness helps you stay grounded in the present moment, reducing anxiety about the future and regret about the past.
How to Do It: Incorporate simple mindfulness practices like deep breathing, meditation, exercise, or mindful walking into your daily routine. Any activity that allows you to focus will help. These practices can help you manage stress and stay emotionally centered during transitions.
7. Give Yourself Time to Adjust
Adjusting to change takes time, and patience is essential during this process. Rushing through it or expecting a quick settling time can lead to emotional exhaustion. It took almost two years to adjust to our move to Costa Rica.
How to Do It: Set realistic expectations for how long it might take to adapt to the new circumstances. Celebrate small milestones along the way to maintain motivation and self-compassion.
A Final Thought
Transitions are inevitable in life, whether by choice or circumstance. While they can bring about challenges and uncertainties, they also offer opportunities for growth, self-discovery, and renewal.
Acknowledging your emotions, focusing on what you can control, and embracing the Change with resilience and self-compassion can help you navigate these transitions gracefully.
Remember, it's about surviving Change and growing through it. As you move forward, be gentle with yourself, seek support when needed, and allow the process to unfold in its own time.
Each step you take is a testament to your strength and adaptability.
*NOTE — If you want to follow our move — the good, bad, and ugly, please subscribe and follow us on our YouTube channel, Duffels and Dogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TzveSBNuTc
With love and encouragement,
Jeanne 🌺
Great info and practical tips to handle transitions or any changes.