Undergoing transitions
As youths or young adults, we will go through many life transitions. These include starting a new course of study, enlisting into National Service (NS), entering the workforce, or forming new relationships.
While this can be an exciting time as we try out new things and gain new experiences, it can also be intimidating. The changes we face may 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 and 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
undergo as youths or young adults. These include:
new course of study
relationship
responsibilities as a young adult
(i.e. handling finances)
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 these effects, 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
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
Although stress is often misunderstood as being simply bad, a manageable dose of stress is good and can motivate us to work towards our goals.
It is also normal to experience adjustment challenges, especially during the first few weeks in a new environment.
If we have to experience staying apart from our family, such as studying abroad or when we first enter National Service (NS), we might experience adjustment stress.
When stress becomes overwhelming, it will affect our well-being negatively. 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
Homesickness
Sleep Difficulties
Appetite Changes
Moodiness and Irritability
When we notice signs of stress, we should refrain from brushing them off as they can be indicators of our
mental well-being.
If we have trouble coping with stress, we could reach out to our friends or the people around us.
If you’re in NS, you can seek support by talking to your buddy, reaching out to your commander, or contacting counselling helplines. Find out more here.
Take breaks to do what we love
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.
