Life transitions and a non-linear life
While most of us look for stability and undoubtedly security and consistency, life rarely offers that.
Instead, we get a life time of changes that block us and force us out of our comfort zone, making us vulnerable. On the positive side, life changes, encourage us to learn and grow from these difficult moments….that’s if you know how to.
The following four developmental stages of “the life course” are: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. These all contribute to major life transitions and have significant psychological, biological, behavioural and social impacts on us.
We have come to believe that not only these developmental life stages go in a one way, sequential direction, the so-called “modern life style” a socially prescribed timetable along with the rhythm of our life, the stages of our life, the ages of our life, and the transitions of our life, apply that there is a specific time, when we should marry, raise children, and then retire.
The idea behind the “social structure” was to help us to be aware of and open up to new possibilities, by putting in place systems such as, family systems, political systems and our own personal systems. These were to encourage us to live a more fruitful, functional and standard way of life. As the saying goes; “one size fits all”!
Furthermore, health, wellness and social interaction was also an important factor within these social life stages. If people were healthy and happy, they would be more productive (on the economic side) and this would boost commercialism meaning people could obtain a richer and better life (style).
And of course, if we are socially prescribed (an approach that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing), it means that, they (the system) can change our relationships, change our experiences, change our expectations of our life course.
So, we can say, life is anything but linear. Hence the fact that I mentioned at the beginning “most people search for stability, security and consistency, but life rarely offers that.
(Major) life changes are essential and extremely important in helping us be aware of our actual life situation and make changes when necessary. They help us navigate life better and reap better happiness.
Life is about change!
Love your Life,
Love your Fifties
