How To Handle Transition Periods In Your Life


Last week, I wrote about leaving the job I was at for over 4 years. 

Shortly after I handed in my resignation, I realized I was about to enter a transition period in my life. Something I haven’t been through since college. Long story short, I had two weeks to wrap things up at Perry Ellis: making sure I left my coworkers in a good place when I left and also making sure I said goodbye to everyone who impacted my career over the last four years. On the other hand, I was beginning to mentally prepare myself for a new journey. New team, new product, new office environment. If you’ve been through this before, it’s a lot to handle at once.

Here are some tips that helped me get through this transition period.

Stay present

Even though I was getting ready to leave, I still had a lot of work to get done. We were getting ready to receive all of our Fall 2019 samples, and I wanted to ensure that samples were still on schedule. I had analysis’ that needed to get done. It wouldn’t have been fair to my boss and my team if I slacked off during the last two weeks I had there.

Take a minute to yourself

When I left Perry Ellis, it was truly bittersweet. It was exciting, scary, and sad. I was happy that I had four days to just chill, and regroup mentally. One day I got a massage at The Peninsula and it was heavenly. Another day I just hung out with my cousins and relaxed (something I haven’t done in a long time). It was a good way for me to take a second to chill before jumping into a new environment.

Think about why you made this decision in the first place

Transitions are all about change. And this change was 1000% voluntary. I knew this change was the best decision for my career and a good way to really step out of my comfort zone. Although the cons were pretty convincing, the decision needed to go in favor of the cons. Putting your future in perspective can help you understand this transition period a bit better.

Transition periods in your life aren’t always easy. Sometimes they happen voluntarily and something they’re inevitable. But at the end of the day, it’s all about how you handle what’s going on when life, just simply, happens.

How do you handle transition periods in your life?


photos by allie provost


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