Have you gone through any big changes in the past 5 years? Past 10 years? Have you switched jobs, moved to a new home or new city or new country? Have you had a health issue that you had to stop everything and focus on? Have you had a shift in a relationship? A transformation in your religious or political preferences? Got married? Started a family? Lost a loved one?
Let me count the changes…
Chances are that in the past 5 years, you have gone through at least one major modification in your life as I know I have. Ten years ago my family moved from San Francisco to Africa to live on a hospital ship as volunteers. After doing this for 5 years, we moved from Africa to Petaluma and this week is our 5 year anniversary of moving back to the USA.
In the past 5 years, all three sons graduated from high school, started college, and my wife and I have slogged our way through several jobs trying to restart our careers and make ends meet after being on a volunteer income for 5 years.
In the past 5 years, I finished my masters degree, completed my internship to become a licensed psychotherapist, and passed my licensure exam. So much can happen in 5 years and I’m sure you would agree that new events can cause both positive and negative stress in our lives.
The emotional costs
Perhaps some of your emotions triggered by big life transitions are joy, relief, anger, grief, sadness, weariness, or frustration. You are not alone in those reactions.
Could you use some encouragement and time to process and grow from the events that have taken place in your life? Find a friend, a therapist, a pastor, anyone who will listen and not try to fix you. Talk to that person and process your experience because change is not always easy and it can be a root cause of burnout, depression, and anxiety. However, it can also be a catalyst for a tremendous amount of personal growth and that is what I would wish for you!