President's Letter
Jan 2010
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are having a welcome start to the New Year. It is always amazing when a New Year starts. The New Year can represent many different things to each and every one of us, one of which can be a time of transition. As we know, life is a process of beginnings and endings. In both life and nature, there are times when things move slowly and don't seem to change very much. Daffodil shoots emerge from the cold ground, and then before we know it, they bloom in a dazzling array of perfumed beauty. Such transitions are as natural as night and day. And so it is with our lives.
Transitions and change can bring both challenges and opportunities. They can also be positive or negative, planned or unexpected. Sometimes transitions are welcomed because we find ourselves in a rut. Or we may have the nagging feeling that something is wrong, although we can't quite put our finger on the reasons, but we feel it is time for a change. Transitions force us to let go of the familiar and face the future with some feeling of vulnerability. These times in our lives give us a chance to learn more about our strengths, to explore what we really want out of life and to grow from the experience. Successful transitions take courage.
Transitions familiar to us from the standpoint of our professions and AOHP are change in job, relocation of a work site, change in co-workers, change in officers, the advent of new/additional workload (i.e. the 2009 H1N1 Influenza), having a position vacant for a period of time, and the list continues. Many of us have experienced all of these and/or a combination over the course of our work lives. I realize most, if not all of us, have experienced many of these over the last year along with transitions that may be going on in other areas of our lives as well. So I wanted to share some tips I read recently that I hope will be useful to you too.
Transitions usually exhibit the following stages, to be successful:
- Experience a range of negative feelings (anger, anxiety, confusion, numbness, self-doubt)
- Feel a loss of self-esteem
- Begin to accept the change
- Acknowledge that you need to let go of the past and accept the future
- Begin to feel hopeful about the future
- Feel increased self-esteem
- Develop an optimistic view of the future
The following are some ideas that may help make the process more rewarding:
- Accept that change is a normal part of life.
- Identify your values and life goals. It generally includes a time of reflection.
- Learn to identify and express your feelings. You will move through them more quickly if you acknowledge them. A tool you can use for this is to write them down and talk about them with trusted friends and family members. These feelings will have less power over you if you face them and express them.
- Focus on the” payoffs.” Think about what you have learned from other life transitions. Recall the stages you went through, and identify what you gained and learned from each experience.
- Don't be in a rush. When your life is disrupted, it takes time to adjust to the new reality. Expect to feel uncomfortable during a transition as you let go of old ways of doing things. Try to avoid starting new activities too soon, before you have had a chance to reflect and think about what is really best for you.
- Expect to feel uncomfortable. A time of transition can be confusing and disorienting. It is normal to feel insecure and anxious. These feelings are part of the process, and they will pass.
- Take good care of yourself. Find something fun to do for yourself each day that you find comforting and pleasurable. Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat well. If you can, try to get some exercise every day, even if it is only a twenty-minute walk.
- Build your support system. Finding the support of friends is also important, but avoid those who are only there to give advice.
- Acknowledge what you are leaving behind. Before you can welcome the new, you must acknowledge and let go of the old.
- Keep some things consistent. Keep as much of your daily routine consistent as you can.
- Accept that you may never completely understand what has happened to you.
- Take one step at a time. To regain a sense of power, find one small thing you can control right now. Then break it down into small, specific, concrete steps. Write them down and post them on your computer monitor or mirror. Cross off each step as you accomplish it.
Times of transition offer us the chance to explore what our ideal life would look like. The New Year is a good time to reflect on the hopes and dreams you once had but perhaps forgot about. Take time to write about them in a journal or talk about them with someone you trust. Now is also a good time to take advantage of the fork in the road. I wish you all great success in any transitions you may be experiencing at this time or in the near future. Happy New Year!
“Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sandra Domeracki Prickitt, RN, FNP, COHN-S
Executive President
References (all accessed December 12, 2009)
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Garrett_Coan
http://ezinearticles.com/?Negotiating-Difficult-Life-Transitions&id=9419
http://lifeesteem.org/wellness/wellnessLF.html
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