Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes

by William Bridges

What are the events that have brought change into your life in the past year? And what are the areas of your life in which the changes are evident? Here are some categories and guidelines to help you answer those questions. Losses of relationships. What relationships have gone out of your life in the past year—list everything from a spouse’s death to a friend’s moving away. Include marital separations, children leaving home, or the alienation of a former friend. What about the death of a pet, or the loss of some admired hero, or anything that narrows your field of relationships? Changes in home life. Getting married or having a child; having a spouse retire, becoming ill (or recovering), returning to school, changing jobs, or going into a depression; moving to a new house or remodeling the old one; experiencing increased (or decreased) domestic tension—anything that changed the content or quality of life in your home. Personal Changes. Getting sick (or well again); experiencing notable success (or failure); changing your eating habits, sleep patterns, sexual activities; starting or stopping school; markedly changing your life-style or your appearance. Work and financial changes. Getting fired, retiring, or changing jobs; changes within your organization; an increase or decrease in income; taking on new loans or mortgages; discovering that career advancement is blocked. Inner changes. Spiritual awakening, deepening social and political awareness, or psychological insights; ...