tips for coping with transition & anxiety | elah tree | THE KLACKNERS

3.07.2014

tips for coping with transition & anxiety | elah tree

Hi everyone! I'm Samantha and I blog over at Elah Tree - a lifestyle blog and shop dedicated to infusing creativity into everyday life. I am so honored to be hear today. Meg is the best isn't she? I'm hoping that she is having a rad time in California.

Today, I wanted to share a little bit of my story with transition and anxiety. Hopefully you may find it helpful if your struggling with anxiety too. Back story; my husband, Tyler, and I got married May 26, 2012. And then we moved, from Missouri to California. All within two weeks my entire life changed. Arriving in California brought on a large amount of anxiety that I had never experienced before. A new city, a new job, and a new life. All these things combined had me feeling like an elephant was sitting on my chest.

TIPS FOR COPING WITH TRANSITION AND ANXIETY

1) Give yourself a break and give yourself permission to cry. You are doing awesome! In my experience I tried to do to much to fast. Give yourself plenty of time to adjust to your transition and when you’re having a hard time remember all the changes you just went through.

2) Evaluate what in your life is making your anxious and determine if you can make changes. My job was causing a large majority of my anxiety. I learned that it wasn't a good place for me to work and I had to make changes. This job was by nature a stressful job and once I decided to quit I learned that many others on my team were quitting too.

3) Determine what you are okay with handling and what is to much. I couldn't do things the same way I would have done things in Joplin and I was okay with that. I really struggled with driving in the city, it made me really anxious. I had to accept that driving wasn't going to be the same. Driving made me so anxious that when I had to drive to new places I would practice with Tyler first before going alone.

4) You are not the only one who feels this way. I felt like something was wrong with me because of how much I was struggling. However, after hearing the experiences of others I learned that others who experienced similar transition also experienced similar struggles.

5) Take your time, slow down and take a deep breath. Remember, a majority of your anxiety may be do to all the transition you just experienced. Give yourself enough time to adjust.

Have you struggled with transition or anxiety? I would love to hear your story.  Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I would love for you to stop by and see me sometime.
Robyn Black said...

this is great! i graduated college, started a full time job, got married, & had major surgery all within 7 months & it was such a huge transition! i'm still dealing with some anxiety from all the changes & these tips are so great! it's also great to know that i'm not alone in this & that it's okay to take my time to adjust! :) thanks for the encouragement Samantha!

Samantha@Elah Tree said...

So glad it was an encouragement! One of the hardest things for me when I was struggling with anxiety was feeling like I was the only one. I always felt better when I could identity with others stories.