Undergoing transitions
As we enter the later stages of our lives, things may start to move at a slower pace for us. We may also experience many changes, such as retirement, experiencing emerging health concerns, watching our loved ones move out, or even losing our loved ones.
This can often bring about stress and overwhelming emotions which, if not properly managed, may affect our mental well-being. Let’s read on to find out more about what we can do to cope with transitions in our lives.
What are
transitions?
Transitions are events or situations that result in changes to our lives such as in our
relationships, routines, or roles.
Common transitions we experience
While the changes we face may vary individually, there are some common ones we
experience as we get older. These include:
a change in jobs
(e.g. losing a spouse, friend, or relative to death)
assisted living community
How to cope
with transitions
and its effects
The changes caused by transitions disrupt our routines as well as our feelings of familiarity, comfort,
and security.
To deal with transitions, we may need to step out of our comfort zone, discard old habits, relearn, and even pick up new skills.
Here are some ways we can cope with transitions:
Be kind to ourselves
Reach out to friends or those around us
Prepare ourselves
Set realistic expectations
Develop a consistent
routine
Remind
ourselves of our past successes
Keep an open mind
Set small goals
As going through transitions can be very stressful, it is important we learn to cope with it. Read on for some ways we can identify and manage it.
Look out for signs of stress
Sometimes, we might not notice when we are feeling stressed but there are some common signs to look for, including:
Trembling
Poor concentration
Withdrawing from social activities
Excessive worrying
When we notice signs of stress, we should refrain from brushing them off as they can be indicators of our mental well-being.
Take breaks to do the things we enjoy
Enjoyable activities can include going for a short walk, reading a book, or even taking a nap. We can also spend time with friends and people we care about to alleviate some of our stress.
Discover more stress-busting tips here.
During a transition, we may experience many different emotions. It is important to know how we can manage these so we can successfully navigate the transition with a clear mind. However, as we may go through a wide range of them, we need to first identify the emotions troubling us before we can work towards solving them.
Here are some steps we can take to identify and manage our emotions:
Identify the emotion
- We can use the feelings tracker to identify how we are feeling.
- We can then use the emotions explorer to understand why we feel those emotions.
- We should not neglect how we feel as we may get overwhelmed and become less effective at managing our emotions.
Know why we feel
the way we do
- We should accept our emotions as natural and not something to avoid.
- Many things can trigger our emotions, including events, situations, or even our own thoughts and memories.
- Try to understand what makes us feel a certain way and why as this would make it easier for us to assess how best to manage our feelings.
Find out how we can manage our emotions here.
Some transitions may cause us to become socially isolated because of reduced social connections. These can include retirement or even changes in our physical health. As isolation can have serious impacts on our physical and mental health, it is important that we know how to cope with it.
Stay active by adopting a new skill or hobby
Learning a new skill or hobby not only keeps us mentally active, but also allows us to interact with new people with similar interests.
Consider joining the following programmes to stay active:
Live Well Age Well Programmes
Participate in free exercise programmes or workshops while connecting with other residents from the same neighbourhood.
The National Silver Academy
This academy supports life-long learning by providing opportunities for seniors to continue learning and upskilling.
With a wide range of courses available to suit our interests and needs, we can meet like-minded peers, expand and strengthen our social networks, as well as reduce our difficulties connecting with other generations by interacting with people of different age groups.
The Seniors Go Digital programme
This programme teaches seniors how to use a smartphone for communication (e.g. phone calls, sending messages), leisure (e.g. watching videos) and services (e.g. making e-payments, scanning QR codes).
This can help us feel more connected to our increasingly digitalised society by enhancing our digital access and understanding. Available schemes are tailored for varying levels of digital knowledge and income groups
Sign up for
befriending services
As part of this service, trained volunteers will visit us as a friend, providing us with some relief to our loneliness, isolation, or boredom.
Through our interactions, befrienders may also identify ways to improve our day-to-day environment and provide the necessary assistance.
Simply visit the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) E-Care Locator or AIC’s webpage for more information.
