The Way of Transition

Okay, so I don't normally insert psychotherapy into this blog because this is supposed to be a way to chronicle my adventures {and hopefully inspire others to seek out adventures of their own}. But recently I've been reading a book for one of my classes that I just have to share with as many people as I can.

The book is called The Way of Transition, by William Bridges. We were assigned this book in my Transitions class as a way of helping our clients face and deal with changes, and I have found it to be really helpful in my own life.Change and transition is inevitable. We are all in a constant state of transition. Some of the changes are things we choose, other times change feels forced upon us. Regardless, whenever there is a change, something ends.
This concept started me thinking about when someone moves away. We always throw a party to honor that person and say goodbye. But how many of us do these ceremonies when we change jobs, or have a change in our schedule, or even quit a bad habit? How many of us give ourselves time to grieve the things that are ending?
Two weeks ago I began working as a therapist in an inner-city high school. I love what I do, but I realized that I needed some grieving time to say goodbye to my freedom - no more staying up late and sleeping in until 8am, no more putting off homework because I have tons of time to work on it, no more meeting friends for coffee at 10am - things I greatly miss even though the thing that replaced them is wonderful!
Anyway, back to the book. It has been a tremendous help for me to realize that change is a natural part of life. It is not something that needs to be feared or resisted. I have also learned some really helpful ways to deal with the different phases of change so it's all easier to handle. Since we all face change and transition, but are so poorly prepared for it, I would encourage all of you to read this book {especially if you are currently experiencing some sort of change - good or bad}.
{photo found here}