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How do you "stage" your life?


STAGING AND TRANSITIONING THROUGH YOUR LIFE
WALKING ON PLATFORMS
It appears that we tend to be walking on and hopping off platforms. 
Through our transitions, we have shed the skin of the old and renewed our place in a different division. The base remains the same, but we shift as people. 

How do you "stage" your life?

Does everything appear as it really seems?

To live in the unknown, we must remain as sitting ducks, waiting to be tagged.
Continuously shifting, we surround ourselves with the comfort of beings in order to keep moving.


“What we call chaos is just patterns we haven’t recognized. What we call random is just patterns we can’t decipher. What we can’t understand we call nonsense. What we can’t read we call gibberish. There is no free will. There are no variables. There is only the inevitable.”
- Chuck Palahniuk

WHAT ARE LIFE STAGE TRANSITIONS? 

 Life stage transitions may include things like moving schools, starting or finishing university or TAFE, starting a new job, adjusting to chronic illness, moving away from friends or family etc. They can have a serious impact of general health and well-being.

The life stages such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age‑are developmental phases, each with its own biological, psychological, and social characteristics, through which individuals pass over the course of their lives.
Think about the life span and make a list of what you would consider the periods of development. How many stages are on your list? Perhaps you have three: childhood, adulthood, and old age. Or maybe four: infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Develop-mentalists break the life span into nine stages as follows:
  • Prenatal Development
  • Infancy and Toddler-hood
  • Early Childhood
  • Middle Childhood
  • Adolescence
  • Early Adulthood
  • Middle Adulthood
  • Late Adulthood
  • Death and Dying

This list reflects unique aspects of the various stages of childhood and adulthood, so while both an 8 month old and an 8 year old are considered children, they have very different motor abilities, social relationships, and cognitive skills. Their nutritional needs are different and their primary psychological concerns are also distinctive. The same is true of an 18 year old and an 80 year old, both considered adults.  Accepting your life cycle stages will make you more successful.

  
"If a flower doesn't grow, doesn't mean there is something wrong with the flower but more so changing it's environment in order for it to bloom." 

 Three stages of adjustment to change
  1. The first is the ending phases, which can be a time of loss, regret, or even grief.
  2. The second stage is the "neutral zone"- an in-between time of uncertainty, confusion and questioning when we are out of our comfort zone and can't see a path forward.
  3. Finally, we move into a new beginnings phase, a time of energy and excitement, where the future becomes clearer.
The process of moving through a transition does not always proceed in order, in these nice, predictable stages. People usually move through the process in different ways, often cycling back and forth among the stages.


Here are some little but powerful reminders on how to keep moving forward. 
Your own personal toolbox to achieving a healthier mindset.

 Life transitions are often difficult, but they have a positive side, too. 
They provide us with an opportunity to assess the direction our lives are taking. They are a chance to grow and learn. Here are some ideas that may help make the process rewarding.

Accept that change is a normal part of life. 
People who have this attitude seem to have the easiest time getting through life transitions. Seeing changes as negative or as experiences that must be avoided makes them more difficult to navigate and less personally productive.

 Identify your values and life goals. 
If a person knows who they are and what they want from life, they may see the change as just another life challenge. These people are willing to take responsibility for their actions and do not blame others for the changes that come along without warning.

 Learn to identify and express your feelings. 
While it’s normal to try to push away feelings of fear and anxiety, you will move through them more quickly if you acknowledge them. Make them real by writing them down and talking about them with trusted friends and family members. These feelings will have less power over you if you face them and express them.

 Focus on the payoffs. 
Think about what you have learned from other life transitions. Recall the stages you went through, and identify what you gained and learned from each experience. Such transitions can provide a productive time to do some important self-exploration. They can be a chance to overcome fears and to learn to deal with uncertainty. These can be the gifts of the transition process: to learn more about yourself and what makes you happy and fulfilled.

 Don’t be in a rush. 
When your life is disrupted, it takes time to adjust to the new reality. Expect to feel uncomfortable during a transition as you let go of old ways of doing things. Try to avoid starting new activities too soon, before you have had a chance to reflect and think about what is really best for you.

 Expect to feel uncomfortable. 
A time of transition is confusing and disorienting. It is normal to feel insecure and anxious. These feelings are part of the process, and they will pass.

 Stay sober. 
Using alcohol or drugs during this confusing time is not a good idea. It can only make the process more difficult.

 Take good care of yourself. 
 Transitions are very stressful, even if they are supposed to be happy times. You may not feel well enough to participate in your normal activities. Find something fun to do for yourself each day. Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat well.

 Build your support system. 
Seek the support of friends and family members, especially those who accept you without judging you and encourage you to express your true feelings. A time of transition is also an excellent time to seek the support of a mental health professional. He or she can guide you through the transition process in a safe and supportive environment.

 Acknowledge what you are leaving behind. 
This is the first step to accepting the new. Think about how you respond to endings in your life: Do you generally avoid them, like the person who ducks out early on her last day on the job because she can’t bear to say good-bye? Or do you drag them out because you have such a hard time letting go? Perhaps you make light of endings, refusing to let yourself feel sad. Before you can welcome the new, you must acknowledge and let go of the old.

 Keep some things consistent.
  When you are experiencing a significant life change, it helps to keep as much of your daily routine consistent as you can.

 Accept that you may never completely understand what has happened to you. 
 You are likely to spend a lot of time feeling confused and afraid. This makes most of us very uncomfortable. The discomfort and confusion will pass, and clarity will return.

Take one step at a time.
It’s understandable to feel like your life has become unmanageable. To regain a sense of power, find one small thing you can control right now. Then break it down into small, specific, concrete steps. Write them down and post them on your computer monitor or mirror. Cross off each step as you accomplish it.
Times of life transitions offer you the chance to explore what your ideal life would look like. When things are in disarray, you can reflect on the hopes and dreams you once had but perhaps forgot about. Take this time to write about them in a journal or talk about them with a trusted friend or therapist. Now is a good time to take advantage of the fork in the road.


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