Counseling for Life Transitions

Life transitions are hard.

Even the positive ones, like getting married, starting a great job, having a baby, etc. - they’re still hard. The worst part is that no one forewarns you or gives you a heads up that it’s going to be so hard. Most people have certain expectations of what their life is going to look like, typically looking something like this: 

⌧ Go to college /  grad school

⌧ Get a job

⌧ Get married

⌧ Buy a house

⌧ Have kids

⌧ Live happily ever after. 

Right? Yeah not quite.

Three years in (maybe even less), you decide that the dream job you always wanted isn’t actually so great now that you’re in it.  

You’re thinking back to your wedding day and trying to figure out how you now feel trapped in a relationship with someone whom you thought you were going to love forever. 

That house with the picket fence you thought you would have by the age of 30? Not so affordable between inflation and the student debt that you’re still trying to pay off. Or if you were able to afford it, you’re now house poor, due to the HVAC, the water heater, roof, etc. all needing very expensive repairs.

You wonder how you ended up where you did when you thought that you were on the right track, and you feel stuck and trapped because you can’t see an alternative path. 

If you’re someone who identifies as being analytical…

……someone who thinks quickly and takes pride in analyzing and understanding yourself, then you’ve likely tried to think your way out of the muddiness. 

Your mind has helped you to be successful in so many areas of life, but this is one where the more you think about things, the more confused you feel

Telling yourself that you have a lot of amazing things in your life to be grateful for is just making you feel worse rather than better.

Trying to logic with your partner through an argument has only led to being on the receiving end of anger and frustration, as they tell you to stop trying to fix things.

And making a spreadsheet of pros and cons as you contemplate your options has only felt like a constant game of ping-pong in your head.

Analysis is a wonderful tool in the toolbox, but it also has its downsides, such as losing touch with the present moment, getting lost in the tangled web of your thoughts, and pushing away people whom you want to feel connected with. 

You don’t have to settle in life.

With counseling, you’ll learn to identify the myriad of other tools that can exist within your toolbox, and the ones that are going to be most helpful in figuring out your particular struggles.

We’ll work together to sort out whether it’s the internal things that need to change - your perspective, inner monologue, comfort level with setting boundaries, or maybe how present versus absent you are in your day-to-day life.

OR, we’ll determine whether it’s external things that need to change, such as leaving a relationship or a job that’s no longer a fit for who you are right now. And if you’re hesitant to change course, we’ll talk through the obstacles that are holding you back from starting a new chapter.

Either way, you can become unstuck and figure out the path forward that’s going to lead you to the life that you want. Whether you’re looking for a loving, intimate relationship, a job that lights you up and fulfills you, or just a general sense of contentment in your life, you can create a life where you get to thrive.