Changing your career is a big decision. Whether you are transitioning from a toxic work environment or want to take on a new challenge, it’s important to find ways to manage your mental health during this time.

Take a closer look at how career changes can affect your mental health and how to stay well on your journey to a new role.

How a Change in Career Can Impact Your Mental Health

Even when a career shift ultimately produces a positive outcome, it can still significantly impact your mental health. Some of the most common mental health challenges you may experience during this time of transition can include losing your identity, coping with added stress, and navigating your expectations.

Loss of Your Identity

You may be used to displaying a certain professional image or level of expertise at work. This “professional identity” and the feelings of competence that come with it can often make you more confident in yourself and your work.

The loss of your closely held professional identity that can occur when you change jobs may lead to feelings of grief and anxiety. In some cases, you may no longer feel like the qualified and capable professional you once were.

This is because career shifts can challenge your perception of professional competence as it forces you to learn new skills and develop new relationships.

Stress in Trying to Adapt to Something New

Making a career shift can be both physically and psychologically stressful. For instance, you may feel that you have to prove that you can maintain a high level of productivity and bring results in your new role, which can lead to overworking.

You may also be worried about making friends on a new team or in a new workplace or even have concerns about job security during a probationary period. All of these things can lead to stress and burnout during your career transition.

Navigation of Expectations About the Journey

In some cases, the career change journey may simply fail to match your expectations. It may take longer than you planned to secure or settle into a new role, or you may grow impatient with your current pace of learning. You may also find that the new role isn’t what you truly wanted or expected.

Not having the tools to navigate this mismatch in your expectations and new reality can take a toll on your mental health.

8 Strategies for Maintaining Mental Health During Professional Transitions

There is no doubt that career shifts can be complex, and trying to maintain your mental health in the midst of one can seem downright impossible. Fortunately, there are effective techniques you can use to help you overcome your challenges and manage stress well.

Here are eight ways that you can maintain mental wellness when faced with a career change.

1. Allow Yourself to Acknowledge Change

Accepting change can be difficult for many reasons. Perhaps you are hesitant to disrupt your regular routine or get out of your comfort zone. Maybe you feel out of control of the situation or are worried about the potential negative impacts of the change. Whatever your reason, it isn’t uncommon to face challenges adapting to a shifting situation.

To manage your mental health through a career shift, it’s important that you accept that the changes are happening. This can help you to get better at recognizing your emotions when they come up and accepting conflicting feelings of both excitement and worry.

It can also help you to be more aware of how the changes you have going on and your feelings about them are affecting you. In the end, the acknowledgment can help you do better with managing the process of change.

2. Create a Clear Roadmap for Moving Forward

Having a fear of the unknown can make career changes even more daunting. While some uncertainty will always be inevitable, navigating change can be easier when you focus on the things you can control.

One way to do this is to create a career change strategy and do what you can to stay organized and on track with it. For example, you may need to update your LinkedIn profile, find and attend a few industry networking events, or reach out to contacts at your target companies.

Creating a roadmap that includes your goals, skills, and desired outcomes can bring clarity to your journey and inspire a sense of efficacy within. Research shows that creating achievement goals can motivate you and lead to greater life satisfaction. In turn, this can reduce stress, provide direction when you’re feeling overwhelmed, and keep your focus on the task at hand instead of on the possible negative outcomes.

3. Prioritize Your Physical Self-Care Needs

When facing a stressful time, you may forget about the power of tending to your own well-being. Self-care is about much more than just taking bubble baths or buying yourself that new outfit you wanted, although these things can sometimes be helpful.

It’s also about making time to meet your basic physical needs. This means ensuring you get a full night of high-quality sleep, exercising when possible, and focusing on eating nutritious food.

Some find that these activities fall by the wayside during stressful life events. However, remember that it can be difficult to function well if you are tired, hungry, and stressed. These self-care activities and principles can help you maintain your physical energy levels, de-stress when needed, and maintain a positive outlook on the situation.

4. Manage Your Expectations for Yourself and Others

During stressful changes in life, it can be easy to expect yourself to keep operating at the same level. But this isn’t always a realistic view. Pursuing a career change means that you may have to learn new skills or sharpen ones you haven’t used in a while. Additionally, you might need to shake up your daily routine and manage fearful and anxious feelings.

You are now facing a new learning curve, and it’s important that you give yourself room to make mistakes. Make sure that you define success on your own terms and write down what that looks like for you. Give yourself time to achieve the goals you have set for your new journey, and try to avoid comparing yourself to others.

Your professional path is unique, and it’s okay if it doesn’t look like what others have done or expect you to do.

5. Build Your Personal and Professional Support Network

Having a support network is important throughout life, but it can become especially crucial during career transitions. Friends and loved ones can provide you with emotional and practical support, including:

  • Empathy
  • Validation
  • Encouragement
  • Motivation
  • Advice
  • Affection
  • Companionship

As you look to build your support network, take time to discuss with your loved ones what they can do to help you during your career transition. This may include spending more time together, answering the phone when you need a listening ear, helping you make professional connections, or assisting you as you move from one city to another for your new job.

You may also consider reaching out to your professional network when appropriate. They may be able to connect you to people and resources that can help you during your career change or offer mentorship to validate your experiences and hasten your success in a new role.

6. Reflect on Your Journey Through Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness practices can have a number of benefits during your career change. These practices work to help you stay present in the moment and observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment, which allows you to understand how the shift is impacting you. This emotional awareness can eventually lead to better emotional regulation, enhanced resilience, reduced stress, and improved decision-making.

If you’re not sure where to start with mindfulness practices, try making time to reflect on your emotions through journaling. You may choose to simply write down your thoughts and feelings, ask yourself a few questions to get to the root of some difficult emotions, or use your journal pages to challenge some limiting beliefs. Journal prompts can also be helpful for some people.

Additionally, consider learning meditation or deep breathing techniques. Deep breathing has been associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressure of at least three to six mmHg in some people, which is equal to the effects of some pharmacologic interventions.

Some studies also show that deep breathing can reduce physiological markers of stress as well as feelings of depression and anxiety.

7. Celebrate Your Wins Along the Way

Making a career shift can be a long journey. Acknowledging and accepting the change, processing your feelings, and making practical steps toward progress can all present both personal and professional hurdles. Make sure to give yourself credit for overcoming your challenges and continuing the journey despite the battles you face.

While it is okay — and even helpful — to acknowledge your difficulties, don’t forget to celebrate the big and small victories as well. Allowing yourself to feel good about the small wins can help you maintain a positive outlook throughout your career shift, which can boost your motivation and enable you to focus on opportunities instead of problems.

8. Seek Out Professional Help When Necessary

Change, especially when it comes to something as consequential as your career, can easily become overwhelming, especially if you’re already dealing with additional life stressors. If you’re having a hard time navigating this transition, you should know that you don’t have to go it alone.

Don’t be afraid to seek out professional help from a licensed practitioner. A trained professional can do more than help you get in touch with your feelings. They can also help you identify and develop healthy coping skills to manage any stress you may feel during this time.

Being equipped with the right tools to handle your career transition may even lead to a more positive experience and better outcomes.

The Right Strategies Can Make All the Difference in Career Shift Success

Whether it is voluntary or involuntary, making a career shift can be scary. Not only do you have to navigate the practical tasks of taking on a new role or workplace, but you must also learn to manage your feelings throughout the transition. Having the right strategies in place can help you better cope with the inevitable stress, keep a positive outlook, and maintain your personal and professional efficacy.

If you need professional help on your career change journey, the experienced team at Plus by APN offers a wide range of services designed to help you effectively address mental health challenges and improve healing in both your mind and body. From behavioral health assessments to innovative solutions like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, we can help you find the right program for your unique needs.

Contact our team to get started on the path to better mental wellness during life’s most stressful transitions today.

References

  • Tavoian, Dallin, and Daniel H Craighead. “Deep breathing exercise at work: Potential applications and impact.” Frontiers in physiology vol. 14 1040091. 12 Jan. 2023, doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1040091