Life Transitions

The natural rhythm of life is change.

Both events of positive and negative transitions can evoke emotional overwhelm and discomfort.

Change and transition are inevitable aspects of the human experience. We all go through movement within the stages of our lives where some may occur naturally, and some arrive unplanned.

A marriage into coupleship, motherhood, a job promotion, or relocation can be seen as positive examples of change. In contrast, a loss of a job, a loved one, or a separation can be related to a difficult one.

Some people handle change with ease and flow; some can respond to transitions with anxiety, fear, and depressed emotions. We can mourn over our past, have trouble accepting the changes around us, and feel extremely overwhelmed.

Talking through life changes in therapy can be incredibly facilitative in processing and navigating change within life transitions.

Kim’s* journey from marriage to pregnancy…

Kim’s lifelong dream was to find her life partner and get married. At 34, she had done many things in life, had a successful career, traveled worldwide, had an active presence within her community, and a network of supportive friends and peers.

Kim was also highly independent and enjoyed adventures and new life projects.

At a colleague’s birthday party, Kim met Scott and immediately established a connection through similarities in hobbies and almost instant chemistry.

Kim began to date Scott seriously for the next few years, and they decided to enter a deeper commitment. The couple quickly decided they would like to bring a child into the world together, and Kim was overjoyed with this event.

Then, the reality of being pregnant hit.

As Kim began moving through pregnancy, she felt various emotions such as fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and self-doubt.

“Am I going to be a good mother? Will I know how to raise my child? How will I balance my professional life with a newborn child?”

On top of those fears, she was also dealing with feeling nauseous and tired from pregnancy and finding herself not having the energy she used to have.

Kim felt growing discomfort toward having these feelings. She had always expected to be happy throughout the pregnancy and approaching motherhood – but she felt terrified.

Kim knew deep down she would do her best to be there for her child and offer them the best life she could. Though she was excited, Kim couldn’t help the constant fears that kept looming in her mind and feeling guilty for feeling them.

Creating insight and changing perspective through therapy…

We validated Kim’s fearful thoughts and feelings in a gentle, nonjudgmental, and emotionally safe environment. We explored Kim’s fears about change and her doubt about becoming a new mom.

Through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy techniques, we used mindfulness breathwork techniques to help calm her anxiety toward the pressures of entering the role of motherhood.

Kim learned this as a tool to manage stressful emotions on the spot whenever her mind wandered. She also shared that she wanted to work on maintaining “balance” in her life and to continue to pursue activities that inspired her still to be the person she was before having a child.

By practicing mindfulness and continually pursuing her desired lifestyle activities, Kim’s level of acceptance of her new maternal role grew, which helped to ease her anxious emotions.

You can learn more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy here: https://contextualscience.org/about_act

Change your thoughts, change your behaviors.

To work on self-defeating thoughts and doubts, we used Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to help form different perspectives and thoughts for stress and emotional reduction.

In this evidence-based technique, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors affect one another, which also means that when we change our thoughts, we can also change our feelings and behaviors.

Kim had many doubts about whether she would be a good mother or “know” how to raise a newborn. These thoughts created a lot of anxiety and sad emotions for Kim, who would then binge on sugary foods to deal with the discomfort.

We created positive and neutral thoughts to replace Kim’s doubtful thoughts. By reframing through these thoughts, we were able to help “re-wire” neural pathways to promote change for new ways of thinking and feeling.

Using healthier thought patterns, Kim became more compassionate toward herself. Kim felt a lot happier and more confident about her new journey and was able to manage her emotions which lessened her food cravings.

For more information on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, please visit: https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral

Therapy is a space of co-creation, reflection, and healing.

Kim’s perspective and emotional responses toward her life transition lessened throughout therapy. Working with a trusted therapist weekly to talk through life’s challenges can be extremely worthwhile to navigate life’s complexities and the constant boat of change.

A new meaning of change that is neither negative nor daunting can be built.

Therapy is where emotions can be fully expressed and released. You are no longer alone anymore.

To learn more about how to navigate change or to work through a significant issue on your mind, reach out to us today.

*Name and story do not reflect an actual client.