As we come to the end of another year and approach the beginning of a new year, it heralds a beautiful transition season for all of us. For many of us it’s an exciting time of creating new year’s resolutions and goals, having fresh motivation to make major life changes towards our dreams. For some of us it’s just another chapter in the story of our lives and we prefer not to make a big deal about it. Whatever you are feeling in this moment, it is okay.
Have you ever gone through a major transition in your life?
Maybe you’ve migrated to a new country, left a job or started a new job/business? Or perhaps you’re starting a new relationship or losing one, getting married or becoming a parent for the first time? Major transitions and life changes can uproot your normal routine and comfort zone, and challenge you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Transition seasons can be beautiful, but they can also be very challenging, even if you’re seeing the manifestation of a dream or a desired goal you’ve always been working towards. It is okay for you to grieve what was, while hoping for what is to be.
Life update
These past few months I’ve been very quiet on my blog and social media because I’ve been going through my own transition season. God has been taking me into a new journey and new season with my business, in ministry and in my personal life. However, this process has been quite difficult at times as I’ve had to and I’m still going through the process of being stripped away of faulty mindsets, and negative cycles. I’ve had to establish stricter boundaries with people in my life and remove myself from certain environments so that I can work on becoming a healthier version of myself and be able to receive this newness in my life. Can I be honest? It has not been easy, but I believe that it will be worth it!
What is a transition season?
Transitioning is the process or period of changing from one state or condition to another. Just as the climate seasons change from winter to spring, so can our lives shift from one season to a next. One thing I’ve learnt about this transition season is that the associated stress and changes of transitioning can really take a toll on your mental, physical, and emotional health. Anxiety and depression can rear their ugly heads and it can become more challenging to maintain relationships. So how can we take care of our overall well-being while navigating these seasons and not spiral into a negative place? Let’s talk about how we can practice self-care during transition seasons and create new healthy habits as we go into new seasons.
Healthy self-care habits to practice during transition seasons:
- Spend time with God daily in prayer, reading and meditating on His Word. Be intentional to also journal about what you’ve learnt or heard from God and be honest with Him about how you’re feeling. This practice has been so foundational and life giving for me throughout this season. Moreover, journalling and repeating positive affirmations and scriptures have helped me to renew my mind and perspective on situations.
- Develop a good sleep routine. Anxiety and fear about the future and my current situation unfortunately stole sleep from me many nights but one thing my therapist reminded me of is the importance of a good night’s rest to help navigate stress better. Create a nighttime routine that helps you to unwind and fall asleep better, for example, I incorporated scripture meditation, stretching, taking melatonin, and using aromatherapy (particularly lavender and eucalyptus oils) into my routine and it has helped tremendously with my sleep hygiene.
- Make time to rest and have quiet time daily. Rest may look a bit different in this season but create a list of things that help you to relax and try to include at least one thing into your daily routine. Rest helps to regularize your nervous system and allows you to have more clarity on where you’re going.
- Connect with your core people regularly. The truth is that you may have to take inventory on your relationships and be honest with yourself about who you want to have in your inner circle in this season. Unfortunately, not everyone will understand where you’re at or is meant to go with you into your new season but be intentional not to isolate yourself completely and stay connected to those few life-giving relationships.
- Seek mentorship and/or professional counselling. Some transition seasons may be more challenging than others, particularly if you are also in the process of transformation. It is okay for you to seek help in this process. Both mentorship and professional counselling have been a tremendous help to me these past few months and I would highly recommend it to everyone.
- Exercise or move your body regularly. I’ve said it many times and will continue to say that movement is so beneficial for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Movement has looked different for me this season, and I could no longer manage weight training 3 days a week, so I decreased the frequency and incorporated more walks on the beach and dynamic stretches into my routine. How are you moving your body today?
- Give yourself grace and be patient with the process. Showing up in various capacities may look different in this transition season and that is okay. You may have to reduce some of your responsibilities, attend less events and establish stricter boundaries to focus more on the healing process. Practice gratitude through it all and congratulate yourself for every win. Your loved ones (those who are genuine) will understand. It takes time to become, transitioning can be difficult, but you will be okay.
I hope that you are encouraged to keep moving forward. I pray that as you transition into this new year of 2024, you will have hope and believe that better days are coming. No matter what challenges you are faced with, I pray that you will be able to navigate this season gracefully and that you would become confident in who are and who you are becoming. Happy New year everyone!
Yours truly,
Dr. Esther J Trotman a.k.a. STAR
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28; NLT)
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