The old adage that “everything changes” is as real as it gets. To use another cliché, “nothing stays the same forever.” It can be depressing, confusing, exciting, and just plain emotional. When you are faced with a new chapter or life change, how can you prepare
I know how it feels. Sometimes it’s like you look around you and it seems like everyone is growing and changing—and here you are ready to live the exact same year once again, except it’s starting to feel like it no longer fits you. You begin to feel like you’re just there, just passing the days by doing what you’re supposed to do and what you’ve trained to do. This lifestyle was the goal at one point and you’re extremely grateful to be where you are, but you begin to wonder, what’s next?
Listening to Your Intuitive Whispers
Sometimes our intuition can feel like a sudden gut feeling or sometimes it can be more of a nagging emotion or thought. Sometimes it even manifests as a theme in conversations, on TV, social media, etc. Listen to those whispers. To prepare for any kind of change, first, you have to understand where you want to go and why. Those intuitive whispers are there to guide you when your ego-lead emotions confuse you. Begin to pay attention to them. They aren’t a coincidence.
Being Happy and Ready to Grow Can Co-Exist
Maybe you’re going through a temporary trial and just need a break, maybe your intuition is trying to get you to pay attention to something, or maybe there’s a deeper transformation ready to take place. Maybe you find yourself looking in the mirror, proud of what you have and wondering what’s wrong with you for not being happy with things just the way they are. Lots of people would love to be where you are yet you feel as if you’ve outgrown it and that makes you feel a little guilty and pretty confused. That’s completely normal.
You can be happy with where you are and also be ready to grow. You had to grow into some form of yourself to be where you are now. If everything in life happens to help our souls grow, learn, and progress, as I believe it does, then maybe those whispers are your soul and your guided faith trying to help you grow into the next stage.
How to prepare yourself mentally for a life change
- You have to slow down and listen. Confusing thoughts happen when we let stuff (e.g., our ego, other people’s opinions, expectations, etc.) distract us from our intuition. Clarity happens when we disconnect from our ego mind and connect with our spirit. Take time to be alone without the distraction of technology. You know where you do your best thinking and you know where you feel at home in your soul. It might be on a run, or in meditation, or journaling, or sitting on a beach, or a combination of a number of things. Just make sure you take that time as often as possible. It’ll help you get clear, feel like you are connected, and feel like you can breathe. Make an effort to make it part of your routine. If you wait until a crisis happens, you’re completely rattled, or burnt out, it’ll more than likely take a longer period, and feel like it’s taking more effort, for you to find clarity. You’re better off taking mini mental breaks regularly, especially during times of transition.
- Know that you don’t have to do anything right now. Instead, be in a state of observance. Spend time observing what’s going on around you, make note of the things get your attention, and focus on being open to what’s next while staying grounded and grateful for where you are now. Release the need to know everything right now. Meditation is extremely helpful in training your mind to be an open observer free from judgment.
- If you’re feeling guilty, remind yourself that you’re the only one who gets to live your life. You deserve to live it happily and authentically. If you’re concerned about disappointing people, they’ll get over it. They’ll just have to adjust the same way that you did.
Keep in mind that these are just a few places to start. There are lots of ways to prepare yourself mentally for a transition or a change. A mental health or life coach can help you work through confusion and emotions to gain clarity. Choose a support team that you connect with and trust.