Change is inevitable. In fact, it is the only thing we can ever really guarantee for sure. Throughout our life, we will all experience change in a variety of ways. Big changes, small daily changes, and sometimes, multiple changes at the same time. Part of what makes us grow, is how we handle the changes presented to us, and the change we consciously choose.
Part of life is making large choices and changes that ultimately impact our life on a bigger scale, what we might call ‘big life decisions’. Decisions such as ‘What university do I apply too? What career do I choose? Will I marry this person? Do I want children?’. And then we make those decisions and move forward with actions that support them. Enter: big life change.
Whether you are choosing schools, getting married, separating, deciding to have children, choosing a career, transitioning out of a career, moving or any other ‘big life decision’, change will ultimately come with it, and that most times means excess stress.
The hubby and I have decided to make a big life decision and move cities, and this comes with big change. It is a very exciting decision that will support our bigger picture goals, but it is also scary and stressful. Below are 5 ways I am trying to stay grounded throughout this big life change.
5 Ways to Stay Grounded Through Big Life Change
Self-care: it’s a cliché I know, and redundant probably, but self-care is critical during big life change. It is so easy to get caught up in the cognitive details and logistics, that we forget to take time for ourselves to process, reset and recharge. While preparing for this big move, it has been crucial for me to take time every day for myself. Whether it is five minutes to breathe or meditate, or an hour to take a hot bath at the end of the day, recharging my batteries is important to getting me through to the other side.
Organization: lists, apps, reminders, mental notes; find whatever it is that helps you stay organized and use it. Keep yourself and others involved on time and task by thinking ahead, planning smart, and staying organized. For me, checklists and to-do lists are my go-to and for the move, I have about 5 of them going. This will ensure I don’t miss anything, and also allows me to release it from my busy mind! Healthy mind, healthy body, healthy change.
Ask for help: send an SOS to those you know and love and watch how much help is available to you. Family, friends, co-workers, or services that are efficient and cost-friendly, there are plenty of ways to get support through big life change. Whether you need someone to talk to or manpower to help you move (like in our case!), asking for help is not a weakness and is actually one of the smartest things we can do to get us through big life changes. Our neighbours and family members have shown up wholeheartedly to help us through this move and we could not be more grateful for their help and support.
Remember the goal: stay focused on the bigger picture and the reason for your change. Sometimes during stressful times we can forget why we are making the change to begin with. It is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and get lost in the over-whelm and stress. If this starts to become the case, remember the goal. When things get tense, remind your partner or support circle of this and have them remind you. We can never go wrong with some sideline support. This has been hubby and I’s biggest success to getting us through this stressful time.
Breathe and have faith: regardless of what may happen. Things may not go as planned, in fact it’s likely they won’t, so breathe and have faith. Know that everything is happening for a reason even if we don’t understand it at the time. Easier said than done in stressful situations, but make this part of the learning and grow from it, even if it doesn’t look the way we thought it would.
Regardless of the change, learning how to adapt and flow through it, allows for less resistance and reduced stress. It is inevitable that things will get challenging (that’s how we grow!), but finding ways to keep ourselves grounded is key to keeping a healthy mind, body, and spirit throughout the process.
Live well,
Cher
