Transitions - What are They?
Changes happen throughout everyone’s life, these are situational aspects, transitions are how we manage the personal process of change.
William Bridges uses the transitions curve above (often used in change management), which consist of the three areas of; endings, neutral zone (also called distress and confusion, as well as experimentation) and new beginnings. This process is not always linear and can go back and forth between the three areas at different times, it is also possible to have more than one transition at the same time.
Some examples of transitions are: mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, reorganization, going into new role or company, becoming a parent, retirement, moving, starting your own business, wanting to make a change of some kind (in your career, personal life or both such as behaviour or mindset), loss of a loved one, going through a health or physical change, natural disaster, pandemic or change in work or home environment like working from home. Not all transitions are entirely negative or entirely positive, some might be intentional and others happen beyond your control, they do often go through an uncomfortable phase, especially if the transition is being worked on.
You may not notice you are in a transition until you are in the middle of one, unless its anticipated or planned, even then some parts are a surprise or cannot be planned for entirely. You might notice some of the below signs when you are in a transition:
Things not working the way they used to – this could be really small things like a routine or plans not going as they were or as expected
Confusion around what the best thing to do is or why something is happening
Overwhelm – feeling like things are too much
Difficulties in making decisions sometimes small ones
Excitement of starting something new
Anticipation of something new
Feeling like something is missing, left behind, loss, not “right” or generally uncomfortable
Impatience
Some questions to reflet on when going through a transition:
What is important to me right now?
What am I finding confusing, conflicting, mixed or just different?
What is no longer working for me?
What is still working well for me?
What do I need to adapt and find a new way of managing?
What do I need to let go of?
What support do I have and what can I do to support my self during this time?
What am I learning?
Transitions often take time and patience; they are a process. This doesn’t mean however that you can’t take action, these may take the form of reflecting, focusing on what you need (which could take the form of self-care) or accepting, which are all actions, although they may seem more subtle, they often help gain clarity and manage the transitions more effectively. Taking action can also be more obvious, such as experimenting with different ways of doing things or taking more specific or measurable actions, however combined with reflection these actions are often more impactful.
What transition (or transitions) are you going through right now?