What to Do For Your Mental Health When You Need to Pivot
“Every day you wake up is a chance to rewrite your story.” — Gabrielle Union
If the quiet feeling that it’s time for something different has progressively become louder until you can no longer ignore it, you’re not failing.
Point of view- you are reaching a place of acceptance. There’s no more denial. This is no longer a fit. No, you are not being unreasonable. This isn’t about having unrealistic expectations to always feel happy. Instead, over time you have slowly realized that you don’t feel valued or recognized in this situation. Or, maybe it’s more a feeling of not recognizing yourself anymore by staying here. This place is not meeting your needs, or even worse it is causing harm to you.
You can now see that this is not what you wanted for yourself, or have reached clarity that it’s just no longer what you want.
At first, coming to this conclusion may feel unpleasant. You may be experiencing crippling, heavy, over-powering emotions often, or in waves. These kinds of emotions commonly accompany a serious decision such as this- confirmation that you will no longer continue on the path that you’re currently on.
The disappointment of seeing this situation for all that it isn’t…for all that you thought it would be.
The shame; feelings of being a failure and not being enough. Wondering “what will other people think?” The strong urge of wanting to hide.
The sadness. An ache that can be felt deep within. The grief. A period of mourning.
Anger fueling self-blame and blaming others for what you’re currently experiencing. The intense fury directed at circumstances that are outside of your control. Ruminating about how unfair all of this is.
The fear that manifests as a spiral of “what if?”s. Not being able to visualize what comes next, and raising anxiety about that uncertainty. Panic, and the feeling of losing control.
And to top it all off, you begin to feel isolated. It can feel like no one else is experiencing this, and that no one else can relate to this sense of loss.
If you are currently resonating with this experience, I hope that you are able to be gentle with yourself. I hope that you have loved ones and trusted individuals to seek guidance from. If the emotions you are experiencing become too overwhelming, it could be a good time to seek support from a mental health professional.
Here are some journaling prompts to help you move through your feelings, get grounded, and increase hope as you face this transition.
Journaling Prompts to help you ignite courage as you move forward with change in your life
What is actually changing in my life as I prepare for this transition?
Is it my identity, my routine, a sense of security?
What story am I telling about myself as a result of this change?
Are you telling yourself things like, “I should've known better”; “I’m so behind”; “I’m a failure”?
If someone I deeply care about was going through this right now, what would I tell them?
What is one step I can take today that is within my control?
When I look back on this time five years from now, what would make me proud about how I navigated this transition?
Let me know how this helped. Share this with a friend or family member that may be struggling with a transition in their life.
As Always, Be Well!
~Jessica Herd, LMHC-D
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Resources:
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial “988”
Text Crisis Line: Text “HELLO” to 741741
