Coping with the return-to-work transition

There are many changes going on in my work life at the moment, as Women Returners expands rapidly in several new directions. Home life is also shifting as my oldest daughter ends school life and prepares for University. One moment these changes feel exciting and energising, the next they can seem exhausting and unsettling.

You may be experiencing similar up-and-down emotions as you are getting back into the job market or starting a new role after many years out. When I hit these periods of change, I find it helpful to remind myself that this emotional rollercoaster is completely normal. In the classic book Transitions, based on 30 years of research, William Bridges explains that we all go through a period of psychological readjustment when change occurs. Alongside opportunity, change can bring turmoil. It's useful to know that this inner transition process typically takes longer than we think it will, and doesn't necessarily correlate with the scale of the change or whether it's a positive change such as promotion or negative change such as redundancy.

He provides a simple roadmap of the three stages of any transition process. Change starts with an ending and ends with a beginning:

1 Endings	2 Neutral zone	3 New beginning
Every change starts with leaving the past behind, recognising what you're giving up & deciding what you want to hold on to	In this in-between state we readjust & reorientate. Emotional ups & downs are strongest at this stage	Finally, we launch into the new activities and start to embrace the change with renewed energy

Bridges' research found that we're much better able to navigate a change successfully if we anticipate these stages and take time at each step to adjust. Don't misinterpret the confusing feelings in the neutral zone as evidence that you shouldn't be making the change and a reason to retreat. Stick with it, weather the emotional upheaval, and you'll eventually come through to an exciting new beginning.

Posted by Julianne