Life Transitions Resources
Listed below are some hand-picked resources that many of my clients have found helpful, when it comes to navigating difficult life transitions. They are organized by topic, for your convenience.
Recovering from Job Loss
The Job Loss Recovery Program, By Lynn Joseph — This wonderful audio program by psychologist Lynn Joseph has been proven to help people return to work more quickly. http://www.joblossrecovery.com/
The Job Loss Recovery Guide, By Lynn Joseph — In this book, psychologist and Fortune 100 career transition consultant Lynn Joseph employs the same visualization techniques used by Olympic athletes to help recently laid-off people overcome their fear and doubt and get back on track, professionally. The author's strategies help people boost their confidence, motivation, and performance so they can make a successful re-entry into the job market.
The Grief Recovery Handbook: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death Divorce, and Other Losses, By John W. James and Russell Friedman – A wonderful guidebook to help you navigate your job loss (or any kind of loss) and make you realize that time does NOT heal all wounds, but that healing is possible, if you take the necessary action. The book was inspired by the authors’ personal losses.
Transitioning into a New Career
Your “Right Fit” Job: A Guide to Finding Work You Love, By Julia Erickson – A great resource and an enjoyable read for those who want to find work they truly love. The book can be downloaded for free, here: http://bit.ly/2GyDMP
What Color is Your Parachute: 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers, By Richard Nelson Bolles — The #1 best-selling career book of all time, revised and updated to keep pace with today's ever-changing job market.
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was, By Barbara Sher – A great guide to help you discover what you want to be, so you can live your dreams.
Dealing with Illness and Healing
Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence, By Matthew Sanford – An inspiring story about hope and healing that chronicles the journey of Matthew Sanford — from when he awakens in the intensive care unit of a hospital after a car accident that killed his father and sister — to becoming a paralyzed yoga teacher and founder of a nonprofit organization.
Choosing to Be: Lessons in Living from a Feline Zen Master, By Kat Tansey – A wonderfully inspiring book that revolves around a wise Maine Coon cat named Poohbear Degoonacoon, his kitten muse Catzenbear, and author Kat Tansey, as they take the reader on a challenging and oftentimes amusing journey from the disorienting haze of depression to the freedom and clarity of Buddha mind.
Insomnia Relief Recipes, By Kat Tansey — This unique sleep program, created by Kat Tansey, is the result of the author’s personal quest to overcome insomnia. After spending many months researching the roots of insomnia and the nature of sleep, she was able to create her own unique recipe for regaining her confidence and learning how to get the restful, restorative sleep she needed, no matter what the circumstances. After realizing how pervasive insomnia truly is, she decided to develop Insomnia Relief Recipes to help others get a good night’s sleep. She used everything she learned from her research to put together a comprehensive program, complete with audios and videos, which will help you create your own, customized Insomnia Relief Recipe. You can purchase the program at www.insomniareliefrecipies.com.
ShareWIK.com –- A warm and inspiring online community in which experts dispense information about health and healing, regular columnists share their experience and knowledge, and people on the path to wellness gather to share what they know.
The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance -- Through its website, this organization offers comprehensive information on the treatment and diagnosis of mesothelioma, a cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs and abdomen, and is often causedby asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma patients have experienced great benefits from utilizing the services of Life & Wellness Coaches. For more information on malignant mesothelioma, visit the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance at http://www.mesothelioma.com/
Dealing with the Loss of a Loved One
From Heartbreak to Happiness, By Aurora Winter – An intimate diary that reveals a single mother's journey of tragedy and triumph after the sudden death of her 33-year-old husband.
The Year of Magical Thinking, By Joan Didion — Author Joan Didion chronicles the year following the death of her beloved husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, from a massive heart attack in 2003, while the couple's only daughter, Quintana, lay unconscious in a nearby hospital suffering from pneumonia and septic shock. While some may find this book less than inspiring, because of its rawness, I found it particularly inspiring and cathartic.
The Grief Recovery Handbook: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death Divorce, and Other Losses, By John W. James and Russell Friedman – A wonderful guidebook to help you navigate your loss and make you realize that time does NOT heal all wounds, but that healing is possible, if you take the necessary action. The book was inspired by the authors’ personal losses.
Transcending Childhood Abuse
The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, By Laura Davis and Ellen Bass. The proverbial Bible of healing for survivors of child sexual abuse.
I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse– Featuring a number of moving testimonies by survivors of child sexual abuse —edited by Ellen Bass, co-author of The Courage to Heal.
Beyond the Tears, By Lynn C. Tolson – One survivor’s true story of hope and healing. Engaging and inspiring.
The Obsidian Mirror, By Louise M. Wisechild – This is both a stirring testimony of one woman’s passage from fear and grief to rage and acceptance and a moving portrayal of a spiritual reawakening and reclamation of self.
ChildSexualAbuseHelp.com — A site offering encouraging articles for survivors, as well as a directory of therapists, coaches, and other professionals who help survivors.
Freedom’s Just Another Word, By Dan L. Hays – An inspiring memoir, set in Houston, Texas in 1987, about healing, hope, and forgiveness in the wake of his memories of childhood abuse. While this book discusses physical abuse, rather than sexual abuse, it’s still quite relevant.
Minute to Freedom — Inspiring audio segments by author and speaker Dan L. Hays that help people transcend their difficult childhoods, one minute at a time. http://www.radiokevin.com/minutetofreedom.htm
General Resources about Transitions
Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, By William Bridges — This classic book has helped hundreds of thousands of readers cope with changes by providing a road map of the transition process.
General Inspiration for Life Transitions
The Happiness Project, By Gretchen Rubin — An inspiring and enjoyable read that follows the author’s year-long quest to weave more happiness into her life without escaping her role as a wife, mother and bestselling author. The book, which offers practical tips for happiness seekers, is refreshing because it doesn’t offer cookie cutter solutions, because happiness is in the eye of the beholder. Rubin’s website, www.happinessprojecttoolbox.com/ is also a great destination, as it provides readers with tools to help them launch their our own happiness projects.
Inspiremetoday.com, By Gail Goodwin — Free daily inspiration, designed to remind you that you have the power to create anything in your life you desire. A great way to start your day.
E-Couragement –- Daily encouragement delivered to your e-box by Thomas Waterhouse, a counselor in Tampa Bay, Florida, who believes that “Hearts filled with courage can rise to any challenge.” Sign up here: www.simpleencouragement.com/eCouragements
