Encompass Parent and Family Life Coach April Bennett shares a guest blog with us based on our recent Examining Transitions podcast. She reminds us that transitions are inevitable, and offers tips and resources for navigating these changes.

Transitions are universal to all families. It doesn’t matter if your family is big or small, young, or old, parents or grandparents, we will all face transitions. Sometimes we forget that transitions are hard for everyone…and we all need grace and help to get to the other side.

On a recent Encompass Podcast, titled Examining Transitions, I had the opportunity to sit down with Caley George (Encompass Marketing and Communications Manager) and Megan Walsh (Encompass Behavioral Health Director)  to look at some of our common views about transitions and give recommendations on how to get through them a little easier.

There are many kinds of transitions, some are logistical, some are more personal, and some are just getting your child from bed to school each morning. Here are a few of the tips for transitions:

• During a time of transition, it may be necessary to adjust your expectations. Prioritize what matters and let go of the rest. This is wisdom on your part, not failure.
• We all do better in routine. If you have a transition that will be shaking up your routine, like going back to work after extended time at home, practice your new routine a few days or weeks ahead. Remember that you won’t get a new routine right the first time and there is lots of grace in the process.
• Megan Walsh reminded us on the podcast that a dysregulated adult has never once regulated a dysregulated child. When we are going through transitions with our families, we need to make sure that we are taking care of ourselves during the process. This will be one of the best ways to care for our children.
• Don’t be afraid to reach out for help or take help that is offered during a transition. If someone is offering to help, let them! If this is hard for you, just know that someday you will be able to pay it forward and help another family.
• Look for small wins and celebrate them. When your family is in a transition time, look for little goals that you can achieve and be proud of. This might even be as small as no one had a meltdown getting in the car today! Celebrate that!

It can take a community to get through transitions and sometimes we need outside support for our family during these seasons. There are great resources at Encompass such as the Behavioral and Pediatric Therapy teams. For a longer list of transition tips for families from April Bennett Coaching, click here. If you are looking for more help for your family’s specific transition and want to schedule a coaching session with April Bennett, Family Coach, click here.