major life disruptionsWe all have disruptions throughout our lives that can mess with our routines. However, major life disruptions are quite different and not only mess with our routines, but can eliminate existing routines, and/or cause us to create new ones.

Major life disruptions may include, but are not limited to the following: death of a loved one, losing a job, accident, long-term illness, divorce, kids leaving home, etc.

These major life disruptions mostly mean a loss of some kind and you will grieve that loss. These situations affect us in various ways – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most are not thinking clearly when they grieve, so it’s better to avoid making major decisions during this time if possible.

The first thing to do is whatever you need to do to cope with the loss.  I’m not saying this will be easy, but it is necessary to begin to heal. They say time heals all wounds, but not everyone in every situation can wait until time heals their wounds to go on with activities of daily living.

For each of these scenarios, and probably others not listed here, there will be many things to do and it means adapting to a lifestyle change. Major life disruptions can also cause something called situational disorganization.  At any rate, existing routines will either need to be tweaked, eliminated, or create new ones.  This also means making changes, which may not be as difficult as you think.

If you haven’t yet been affected by any major life disruptions, understand that they will occur at some point in your journey, it’s inevitable.  It’s difficult to prepare for them, although some planning for the unexpected will help.

My intention for this article is to provide resources, such as the information in the links listed throughout the article to help you tweak, eliminate, or create new routines to help you adjust to your situation.