Hi Dien,

William Bridges, the author of three books on transition, is considered somewhat of an expert on the subject.

One of them -- "Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes" -- was first published in 1980. The information is timeless.

When I was involved in the training field, I could see firsthand just how difficult change was for most people - especially those who had recently gone through a major life 'shock'.

A psychologist friend suggested that I read Bridge's work.

The book explains how to deal with not only how to "let go" of the past that no longer serves our best interest...but also how to construct a new beginning.

But the biggest help comes with Bridge's suggestions about how to maneuver through the often uncomfortable time of CONFUSION that is in the middle of the END and NEW BEGINNING.

It's a great resource book to keep on the shelf once it's been read. I found that I referred back to it several times over a period of years since I first purchased it. I believe there is a lot of wisdom on those pages.

Now, the reach of his work has expanded from clinical and academic circles to include being used in corporate human resources programs.

Just thought I'd mention Bridges since I believe that any effective help we can get toward understanding how to better adjust to planned and unplanned 'life shifts and shocks' is a good thing! :)

But mostly, knowing that the yuckky time of distress as we try to regain our balance IS normal - and has a purpose.

Knowing that any misery or feeling of limbo will pass once our 'inner work' is done, it makes some difficult times easier to face once this knowledge is truly absorbed.

We have to consciously work through the MIDDLE of our change period though...short cuts may cause a flaw in the groundwork for the NEW BEGINNING.

Some people think that the passing of time is a great healer. For others, I think that just marking time is not the best approach to dealing with transition since it may lead to getting stuck in a hopeless rut.

But rushing to make a plan to avoid a rut may actually stunt the important GROWTH period in the middle of the transition.

I believe that resilient people handle transitions the best. Those who are rigid and compulsive and obsessive seem to experience the most difficulty, IMHO.

~ Amber