Joyce Dillon

Health, Wellness & Purpose Strategy Coach

Life Transitions

What is Your Next Step for Your Life?

By Leave a Comment

You may have experienced significant change that has shifted you into a major life transition. Perhaps you’ve lost a spouse, child, or parent, or are going through a health crisis, divorce, job loss, or retirement, or are caring for parents, or redefining yourself.

You will likely experience many life transitions during your life. 

Like everyone else, in the last several years I have experienced my own turbulent changes including reinventing my career, relocation nightmares, and health issues.

All of these unexpected changes thrust me into a period of uncertainty, and another powerful life transition.

It is easy to get lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed.

Perhaps you can relate.

The unrest that occurs at this period of our life is about sorting out and separating who you are becoming from who you have been.

It is a time for deep introspection, and for exploring how you want to live this part of your life and how to become more authentically who you really are.

During these challenging times, I continue to implement these seven important ways to navigate change, uncertainty, and transition.

It is a time for deep introspection, and for exploring how you want to live this part of your life and how to become more authentically who you really are.

Perhaps they will be helpful for you as well.

  1. Get grounded in your body. Take deep breaths and feel yourself in your physical body. Breathe into your back, shoulders, and neck, into your energy centers, and your heart. You will feel your body become stable.
     
  2. Find a sense of safety and security. Getting grounded will help you feel more secure. Decrease, and ultimately rid yourself of negative input from the news and overwhelm from the Internet. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded, conscious, people as much as possible. Ask yourself if you feel supported and safe in the city or area you live in.
     
  3. Quiet your mind, and dream. Creating a daily practice to quiet your mind is imperative. Meditate, walk in silence, or do breathwork – whatever works for you. Ask your higher self-questions such as, “what is my next step in my life? What does my higher self-desire for me?” Keep a journal to write down the answers.
     
  4. Get support from friends. Have at least two friends who love and support you with whom you can share your true, authentic feelings. They should be willing to listen to you on good and bad days.
     
  5. Find a support community. Join a support community that you can relate to, like a loss and grief group, a group that enjoys art and creativity, dinner and chat, movie nights, or walking and exercise. Do what you love to do! Join an online community if you can not find an in-person group.
     
  6. Take care of your mental health. It is hard to make decisions if you are overwhelmed, anxious and depressed. Find a good therapist or hire a life coach. Get support! Do not do this by yourself.
     
  7. Get plenty of sleep. When you have experienced a crisis or sudden change, you need more sleep. The body cannot heal without rest and revive your body. Take short naps. Get at least eight hours of sleep.

At some point, you may know you want to change your life, but you may have no idea how to move forward so you can make that change.

If you are at a crossroads and looking for support and ideas that can help you move forward, you are in the right place.

Learn More. Go to JoyceDillon.com or email jjdillon@mindspring.com to schedule a 30- minute complimentary call and we will see if this is the right next step for you.

The Transformation Space

By Leave a Comment

Finding Your Path from What Was to What Is Next

Loss. Transition. Purpose. Transformation.

Finding Your Path from What Was to What Is Next

As we work through our own personal journey of transformation, one of the challenges we inevitably face is letting go of the psychological aspects of our past identities, of our beliefs, how we see ourselves, and the stories we tell ourselves about our life.

When we are struggling with life’s difficulties, it is usually because we are holding on to something we do not want to let go of.

When we hold tightly to who we believe we are and how we see ourselves, it can be more difficult to move through a transition.

What is it in your life that you need to let go, of now?

William Bridges, author of Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, says “Transition is not about strategies of change but about the journey of transformation, a conflicting and unsettling process that offers us the opportunity to grow and become more conscious.”

Bridges identifies three phases of the transition process which most of us will experience throughout our lifetime. These phases are Endings, Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings.

What phase of transition are you experiencing?

You might be in the process of ending something that is challenging, overwhelming, or unexpected, such as the death of a loved one, getting divorced, being downsized at work, recovering from the pandemic, loss of your home, or letting go of a long-awaited dream. Any loss can leave us feeling disoriented and confused.

Endings are usually followed by a period of being in the Neutral Zone or “luminal phase.” Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. defines this space as a period between what was and what is next. This transition space can be a period of confusion, despair, or disbelief. 

If you are spiritually and emotionally grounded in who you are, it can be a period of self-renewal, self-care, and soul work, as you seek to understand what has taken place in your life.

We need to take time alone to sit quietly and explore what we really want for the next part of our life.

This transformational time also can be emotionally exhausting as we do our deep spiritual, internal work.

If you leave this space of healing too soon in order to move into new beginnings, you may still struggle with losses, events, memories, shame, and blame from the past, because these issues remain unresolved emotionally.

You may have found yourself in a new beginning that is unfamiliar, such as relocation to a new city, retirement, change in career, or a new relationship. These new beginnings can be daunting and/or transformational.

If you have done your deep inner work, your new beginnings should be less emotionally difficult, and you’ll be better prepared to step into your new life transition.

There are many ways to go through life’s transitions.

Choose wisely……..

Learn how you can move easier through these transitions with my Transition-Focused Coaching Package

How to Build Resilience During Difficult Times of Transition and Transformation

By Leave a Comment

At this point in the world, we must all realize that we’re living in very challenging times and yet at the same time, a very profound transformational period. It seems everybody I know is going through something on a personal level-illness, fatigue, sadness, depression. grief, and or loss.

In addition to your personal journeys, we are being threatened by, political breakdowns, mass shootings, devastating earthquakes, merciless wildfires, and severe storms- with mass flooding.

Humanity is in the throes of an ever-growing collective consciousness that wants to evolve, yet old ways of being and outdated modes of consciousness are struggling to hold on to the known.

So, the big question today, is ‘How do we build resilience so that we do not collapse under stress, grief, loss, and fear and at the same time keep our hearts open to others and take care of ourselves?’

Awakening is no longer a luxury or an idea. It is critical.

It is also critical that we deal with our own anger, feelings of separation, addictions, and fear.

Mayo Clinic reports that Resilience is the ability to adapt well and recover quickly after stress, adversity, trauma, or tragedy.

I believe I have developed strong resilience over my lifetime resulting from my childhood and the traumas I experienced as well as the transition tools and spiritual practices I have taught and engaged in over the years.

I have had losses that have taken me to the underworld of darkness, but I have always been able to rebound.

The eye of a hurricane is a place of calm, around which spins the storm. We become the eye when we pull ourselves out of the chaos and into the present moment.

Here are several ways that I recommend to pull yourself out of the storm and into the calm of the eye of the storm that will help you build resilience to deal with emotional and physical pain during these difficult times.

Five Daily Practices to Build Resilience

Five Daily Practices to Build Resilience

Mindful Awareness of Thoughts
Stop and experience what you are doing driving, doing the laundry, or walking. If you are thinking thoughts of the past or future bring your mind to the now. Focus on your heart, and breath, and come back into the awareness of the present moment to help regulate yourself.

Heart-Coherence Meditation
New research indicates that you do not need to meditate for long periods of time to have a positive effect. You do have to connect the breath to the heart and the brain. Start by sitting and relaxing for 5-15 minutes. Inhale from the heart to the head and exhale the breath from the head to the heart. When you connect the heart and the brain you develop less resistance to meditating.

Support Group
Join a spiritual, grief, walking, hiking, or meditation group with at least 4 people who come together live or remotely to support each other in moving through these difficult but transformational times. It is critical to have a support network that you can count on during these challenging times.
Walk and engage with Nature Walking outside allows your nervous system to calm your cognitive systems to rest and lift your mood. Sit under a tree, and explore what is around you-animals, plants, flowers, and rocks. Allow yourself to see and experience the beauty around you.

Gratitude
Start your morning by saying what you are grateful for. If you think you have nothing to be grateful for being grateful for your breath and that you woke up today. Gratitude for your life will change your life

Extreme Self-Care and Compassion
During periods of stress, we often fall back on old patterns of relating to ourselves and the world. We can be harsh and critical, and not care for our bodies. To build resilience we must support our body and mind to heal with healthy food, water, and exercise. You must care for yourself!

These are just a few of the ways to develop tools that help you become more resilient. How have you become more resilient? Let me know, I am always interested in learning what helps others.

Navigating Change, Uncertainty and Transition

By Leave a Comment

Navigating Change, Uncertainty and Transition

You may have experienced radical change that has shifted you into a major life transition. Perhaps you’ve lost a spouse, child, or parent, or are going through a health crisis, divorce, job loss, or are caring for parents, or redefining yourself.

You will likely experience one or more life transitions during your 40s or 50s.

Like everyone else, in the last several years I have experienced my own turbulent changes including reinventing my career, relocation nightmares, and health issues.

All of these unexpected changes thrust me into a period of uncertainty, and another powerful life transition.

It is easy to get lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed.

Perhaps you can relate.

The unrest that occurs at this period of our life is about sorting out and separating who you are becoming from who you have been.

It is a time for deep introspection, and for exploring how you want to live this part of your life and how to become more authentically who you really are.

During these challenging times, I continue to implement these seven important ways to navigate change, uncertainty, and transition.

Perhaps they will be helpful for you as well.

  1. Get grounded in your body. Take deep breaths and feel yourself in your physical body. Breathe into your back, shoulders, and neck, into your energy centers, and your heart. You will feel your body become stable.
  2. Find a sense of safety and security. Getting grounded will help you feel more secure. Decrease, and ultimately rid yourself of negative input from the news and overwhelm from the Internet. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded, conscious, people as much as possible.
  3. Quiet your mind, and dream. Creating a daily practice to quiet your mind is imperative. Meditate, walk in silence, or do breathwork – whatever works for you. Ask your higher self questions such as, “what is my next step in my life? What does my higher self desire for me?” Keep a journal to write down the answers.
  4. Get support from friends. Have at least two friends who love and support you with whom you can share your true, authentic feelings. They should be willing to listen to you on good and bad days.
  5. Find a support community. Join a support community that you can relate to, like a loss and grief group, a group that enjoys art and creativity, dinner and chat, movie nights, or walking and exercise. Do what you love to do!
  6. Take care of your mental health. It is hard to make decisions if you are overwhelmed, anxious and depressed. Find a good therapist or hire a life coach. Get support!
  7. Get plenty of sleep. When you have experienced a crisis or sudden change, you need more sleep. The body cannot heal without rest and sleep. Get at least eight hours.

At some point, you may know you want to change your life, but you may have no idea how to move forward so you can make that change.

If you are at a crossroads and looking for support and ideas that can help you move forward, you are in the right place.

I offer Personal Transition Coaching. We work together to create a plan to help you manage life’s uncertainty and transitions, and then we will build new perspectives on possibilities for your new way of living.

ALSO

Join me for the launch of my new Six-week workshop in June 2022, Navigating Through Change, Uncertainty, and Transition. It is a powerful program to help you take steps forward and explore possibilities, feel supported by other women in transition, and help create an action plan that guides and supports you in taking small steps forward.

Much love to everyone,
Joyce
P.S.
Learn More.
Send an email to schedule a 30- minute complimentary call and we will see if this is the right next step for you.

Wake-Up Call: It’s Time To Change

By Leave a Comment

Wake-Up Call: It's Time To Change

Have you had a wake-up call recently, such as an unexpected health crisis, a separation or divorce, or the loss of your job? Perhaps you just feel stuck or restless? Are you yearning for change?

These situations and emotions come with midlife, and this transition can be like falling down Alice’s rabbit hole: frightening, yet at the same time invigorating. Some people come out terrified while others are transformed. Some people renew their passion for a new life with gusto, and others ease along, making small but notable changes.

There is no right way or wrong way to transition through midlife. At some point, you may know you want to change your life, but you may have no idea where to begin and feel stuck. Yet, you simply have to do something!

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you take some form of action! Do something to shift your life.

Get a new job, clean out your closets, retire a relationship that’s draining your energy, schedule your trek in the rainforest, move to a new city you love, join a group of like-minded boomers, volunteer to help people in another country, go back to school for fun or for a new career, take a dance class to learn to tango.

The unrest that occurs at this period is about sorting out and separating who you are becoming from who you have been. It is a time for deep introspection, and for exploring how you want to live this part of your life and how you want to become more authentically who you are.

These suggestions will help you get unstuck and get to your next step:

Step One: Schedule a quiet time to think about some of the questions maturing boomers must confront as they approach middle age, such as:

Do I want to spend the rest of my working life in my present career?

What would a career change mean at this point in my life?

What changes can I begin to make now to ensure better physical and psychological health for the rest of my life?

Am I really happy and content with my daily life now?

Step Two: Get clear about what you want for your life.

Develop a personal profile that highlights several areas: Your pleasures, your dream job or career, the subjects about which you want to learn more, your strengths and your areas for improvement.

Here’s a way to make your personal profile come alive: put together a picture board that displays all the things to which you are drawn or for which you have a passion, such as: a healthy body, gardening, resting at a spa, sailing, or a peaceful landscape. Cut photos from your favorite magazines to illustrate your passions and paste them on your “dream board.”

Give yourself permission to get in touch with your suppressed vision of who you truly are and how you want your life to actually be.

Step Three: Identify Obstacles and Outdated Beliefs

Do you have limiting thoughts that are holding you back?

Your set of beliefs, thoughts and lifestyle habits, which include your food choices, your form of exercise, your sleep patterns and stress level, can be an obstacle for living a healthy lifestyle. What are your thoughts and limiting behaviors?

Step Four: Take Action to Make Permanent Change

It is not enough to just verbalize or visualize your goals. You must have a plan and take steps to create what you want!

Action Steps: Write down your goals and action steps to achieve them during the next 3 months. Identify your strengths and areas for improvement in following up with your plan.

Step Five: Get Help to Hold Yourself Accountable

To help you manifest your goals and dreams, I recommend that you create accountability by finding a buddy, hiring a coach, or joining a group with like-minded people to help you reach you goals.