How to Get Through a Major Life Change: Moving, Divorce, Losing a Job

Moving, divorce, losing a job — these are events of a different order, yet they unfold in similar ways. First, your usual routine falls apart; then comes the time when the old is gone but the new hasn't arrived yet; and only after that does a new shape of life appear. Knowing these phases doesn't take away the pain, but it greatly reduces fear: you understand what's happening to you and what comes next.

Why Any Major Change Feels the Same

A serious change takes away not only your circumstances but also your supports: your usual route, your circle of people, your sense of who you are, your plans for the future.