Transitions

One of the good things about studying families (and trust me, there are a LOT of good things) is that it gives me a limited ability to psychoanalyze myself when necessary.

Recently I have been feeling a bit... lost. Like there was no longer any purpose or meaning to my life. This (naturally) freaked me out at first. What had thrown off my groove? How could I fix it?

I finally realized that this is just part of going through a life transition. For the last little while, the main focus in my life was my thesis. That's gone now, and I'm feeling the loss. It's like when a man retires after fifty years of work, or a mother finds herself home alone after her last child has flown the nest. It throws you off a bit at first because for so long, that thing WAS your life. It's hard to figure out what to do next to find meaning. Certainly my transition isn't as big of a deal as retirement or becoming an empty nester... but it IS A change and it's normal to feel a bit lost.

Realizing all of this made me feel much better about things. This is just one of those life stages things... I'll get through it. Once I land a job, it will be much easier to have a solid focus. But until then, I just need to focus on finding joy and meaning in the little things in life. Maybe set some little goals that I can achieve so I still feel like I am being productive.

Transition times can be tough, but they are necessary. We wouldn't want to be stuck in the same situation forever! If we were, how would we grow? Life is meant to be about change. It will be interesting to see where my life takes me next.