5 Ways to Thrive Through Transition Before 2022 Ends

5 Ways to Thrive Through Transition Before 2022 Ends

Transitions can be brutal. Yet they are inevitable.

There are 9 major life transitions (Birth, Move, Death, Divorce, Fired from work, Major illness/injury, spousal reconciliation, starting a new business and legal battles) and most of these occur in midlife (ages 35 - 55). In Midlife, major life transitions are more likely to happen simultaneously which increases their effect emotionally, physically, socially and financially.

Midlife is also when most women have huge changes physiologically (i.e. menopause), increase in their roles/responsibilities (i.e. as a double provider- caring for both children and aging parents).

In short, the combination of midlife transitions, (onset of) menopause and increasing midlife responsibilities could be a set-up for midlife crisis or midlife malaise.  

As a mom in midlife, how many of the major life transitions have you had in your 3+ decades of life?

Interesting.

Why do these transitions even matter?

Two BIG reasons.  

Yes, (Big Life) changes are more likely to happen as we get older but we are also less equipped to deal with them. Research shows it takes our brain much longer to react to change as we get older (Levitt, Harvard University 2009).

Whelp!

This is even worse when we don’t see the transitions coming or have not adequately prepared for them. Yes, we are still assessing lessons from COVID about how you really ‘prepare’ to be fired or to nurse a series of complicated illnesses. But that’s just it. Life transitions don’t respect time (or preparation).

Secondly, the longer you stay “stuck” in a transition or storm or even the timing of the stressor with other major midlife events, the deeper the effect (Thomas, Women’s Midlife Health 2019). And it takes a much longer time to recover.

Again, the major connection here is time.

It’s only a matter of time before you may feel stuck in a storm. Worse is to watch others, via social media, celebrate their #2022goals and #bigplans for their #2023goals.

As we end 2022, how many transitions have you had this year alone?

Me?

Two!

I had the bright idea to take our 4+ years of homeschooling our 4 kids across the globe and start world-schooling (even as hubby and I had just started 2 major business in the 2020 pandemic). So, we packed up a decade of expat living and moved again across Africa. The amount of illnesses that assaulted our household individually and collectively- in addition to learning to navigate a broken healthcare system in a developing country- took a HUGE toil on us.

2022 affected us mentally, physically, emotionally, and then left a financial hit.

Thank God, though, that 2022 is also shaping out to be our best year yet for our family businesses (that story is for another time).

Learn from my battle through the 2022 storm! Here are 4 ways to thrive through transition.

• Stop comparing your today to yesterday. Today will never be yesterday. Your old home/job/home/partner/finances/_________ is gone. Stop spending time and energy dwelling on and romanticizing past events and activities. It’s okay to think about and miss the past but when a major part of the present is compared to the past, your future is compromised.

Instead …

• Focus on new experience/opportunities. We are always given a new start and new opportunities to start fresh. God gave the Israelites a promised land filled with milk and honey. He didn’t give them milk and honey itself. He gave an opportunity for them to sow, water and harvest from a promised OPPORTUNITY. Don’t miss the promised opportunities in front of you.

So …

• Meditate on what you know is true. Pull out or create new affirmations that connect with your spirit and diligently meditate on them until you believe them enough to start living them. Focus on your prophetic words. What has God already said about you and your future state?

For the unknown is …

• Known! Chances are this is not your first tough transition. Yes, you’ve been here before but this one hits differently. This set of transition is sudden, complicated, and runs deep. And yes, there is that time factor of “age”. Remember, changes hit us harder as we get older.

So what to do?...

• Do something different to get a different result. This time, be intentional about getting help so you can save time and energy in the long run. Invest in a guide whose values are aligned with yours to thrive through this transition, dream again and start living a full life.

Here’s your next step…

Sign up for my webinar, (http://bit.ly/mpmzima or Link in IG Bio @mzimalife) so you can learn how I and other high-achieving women in midlife thrive through storms and replenish power for your future self.

I coach high-achieving moms who are overworked and under-living on how to discover their God-given purpose so they can thrive through life’s transition and live a FULL life - a Mzima life!

Join the Purpose Masterclass and let’s power up your purpose.

Your future YOU awaits!

Dr Bola

Mzimalife