Change is inevitable. It’s the transitions that often trip us up. Whether it’s a new job, a relationship change, or a major life event, understanding how to manage these shifts can make all the difference.
This year, I had a baby and transitioned from my life before to my life with this new baby and my time on parental leave. Now I’m transitioning back to working. All of this feels like transition on top of transition. I was feeling overwhelmed by the wave of all of these changes.
Luckily for me, I had to give a presentation on William Bridges’ “Managing Transitions.” I will give a brief outline of his book here but for more details, please visit our previous Ombuzz blog about it. In a nutshell, Bridges states that change is an event, but what we manage as humans is the transition when change happens. This transition is the psychological process we go through with a set change.
Bridges’ model for emanating transitions has 3 phases:
1. Ending, Letting Go: The first stage involves acknowledging and accepting the end of the old reality. It’s natural to experience a sense of loss, grief, or even resistance during this phase.
2. Neutral Zone: This stage can be a period of uncertainty and ambiguity, as individuals find themselves between the old and the new. While it might feel uncomfortable for some, the Neutral Zone also presents an opportunity for creativity and exploration.
3. New Beginning: In this final stage, individuals begin to embrace the new reality and develop a renewed sense of purpose and identity. It’s important to acknowledge that there might still be some ambivalence towards the new beginning.
In my example, the change included having a baby, not working and then working again. Those are 3, easy to label changes; all of which come with some major transitions! So, here is what I can do to help myself think through these stages of transition to better support myself. I am going to specifically look at using this model with how I can help myself transition back to working.
Ending, Letting go: I can recognize and honor the emotions around what I might be losing or what might be ending; such as going on work trips, long and short, without having to think about childcare or missing my baby or having more brain space to focus only on work while now my brain has completely rewired and I don’t always feel as sharp as I once was.
Neutral Zone: I can create temporary systems for support, and foster connections within my team. Creating some temporary processes and schedules to help me stay focused and feel productive may help. This is also where I can get creative and try new things. We have a new team member on our team. How can I collaborate with them on projects? How can they help me in places I used to get stuck?
New Beginning: I can create a plan for the transition and define my role in the process. By giving myself clear roles and duties, I can feel good about meeting expectations.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I can use Bridges’ model to understand where I am in the process and create the support I need.
What transitions are you navigating?
By Teresa Ralicki, Ombuds Lead at Pinterest, founder of Ombuds Institute, and Co-Editor of Ombuzz