How to Cope with Life Transitions
I’m a mess. Between my oldest son leaving for the army and his younger brother graduating high school, it seems like all I do is cry. Life transitions are hard.
Like, really hard.
Whether you have a graduate or are starting a new job, life transitions impact your life in more ways than one.
No matter what life transition we are facing, the fact of the matter is that life goes on.
So how do we cope?
Yesterday I slept all morning and then picked up a book and just kind of checked out. While that was nice for a day, it’s not a practical life strategy.
The #1 Way to Cope with Life Transitions: Talk to Jesus
Prayer should always be our go-to when life changes. However, it isn’t always my first resort. So I’m training myself to pray as soon as I remember.
It’s easy to beat myself up because I didn’t remember to pray, but instead of doing that I’m using the reminder to pray in the moment.
And it isn’t just about taking my cares to Jesus. Sometimes the best thing we can do is talk something out. That’s why a lot of people go to therapy. But we can talk to Jesus just as well as we can talk to someone else.
Important: I’m not knocking therapy, if you need it and it helps you, absolutely make and keep an appointment. However, I’ve found that for me, talking with Jesus helps me way more than talking with anyone else.
You can pour your heart out to Jesus and He doesn’t give you advice on how to do more, be better, or achieve perfection. He doesn’t try to tell us how we should be feeling or administer general platitudes. He will speak to our hearts though. Sometimes its a Scripture, other times it’s a promise about His character. But a lot of the time God just listens. He lets us pour our hearts out and cling to the foot of the cross. And He is there steady and sure. Ready to be our rock and our refuge.
That’s the God we have, and no matter what we are going through, He is always there. He’s never too busy and we don’t have to have an appointment.
Join the Conversation
So that’s the best way I’ve found to handle life transitions. But I would love to hear from you. How do you handle life transitions? Share your tips in the comments below.
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If your prayer life isn’t picture perfect and strong enough to rival that of the apostles like Paul and John, this is the book for you. Ladies, It’s Time To Reclaim Our Prayer Life.
Life transitions can be difficult Heather, & yes there is a certain amount of grief that comes with many of those transitions. Because really none of us welcome change when we have grown comfortable within the season we were in. And change can be scary because it’s the unknown.
Although, through experience I’ve found there is always a blessing awaiting us in the new season, especially when we actively embrace it while processing our sadness.
Blessings, Jennifer
Thanks for stopping in, Jennifer. Seasons come and go as life transitions. Thankfully, God remains faithful through them all.
Our family has been in a long season of transition and, as I look at the future, I think the transitional season has settled in to stay awhile. One thing I realized this week is that, while I’m doing a good job of praying about this thing or that one throughout the day, I’m struggling to really talk to God in prayer because praying about it would be thinking about it and that feels overwhelming. Your post is spurring me on to figure out a way past this. Thanks.
So glad you found our website today! I can totally relate to feeling overwhelmed by it all. That’s actually a really good point. You’ve given me something to ponder on.
Those transitions you’re going through are indeed hard, Heather! Sometimes it feels like they just keep coming and coming. I try to remember that life is full of change; some of it I will like, and some of it I won’t. 🙂 But Love can hold me through it all.
Amen!
Yes, those transitions can be challenging. In fact, life itself in this fallen world is frequently hard. Prayer is so vital. I’m praying for God to breathe fresh life into my prayers and that they not become just something I do or something I’m failing to do! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping in, Donna!