Transitions

“A successful and healthy transition requires one to live in the nothingness between the end of one period and the beginning of another.” by Ryan Caldbeck, Transitions, Medium

In my own experience and in my time of working with clients, this space of nothingness can be terrifying.  It’s not a space I want to really pull up a chair to and hang out in, if the 

transition is not one that I planned for let’s say. There are so many feelings attached, to include, fear, grief, excitement, loss of control, stress, vulnerability, shame, to name a few. I have found that this is a time that people need their village, their community, their coach, their faith etc, no matter the transition.  The “nothingness” time can be crucial, to just absorb and accept the in-between-ness.  I encourage those that are in this vulnerable space to pull up a chair, to also consider surrounding yourself with community, whatever that looks like for you.  Give time for the process of transition, imagining a bridge in the woods that gets you from point A to B, but stopping on the bridge for a while to just sit, to know, to understand.  Only then can you visualize what’s next or to just recognize that you don’t know.  To acknowledge and say “I don’t know” amidst the influences around you can be meaningful and vulnerable.  People often struggle when they don’t have the answers right away.  The pressure to know can interfere at times.  Somehow the knowing always comes.  The clarity happens one way or another and we can trust that.  Once there is the nothingness, you can make a plan.  Visualize what’s next and talk or write about it. This time of transition can be the most difficult but can lead to the most beautiful.  If transitions can be perceived as opportunities, then it leads to different feelings and mindset.  To reframe and to write your own next story?…this becomes something exciting! 

Thank you for reading and connecting.

Dana Martin