Career Counselling: Breaking Through The Glass Ceiling: Managing The Stress Of Change and Growth

Whether you are undertaking academic study, pursuing a new career, stepping up or sideways in a position you have little or no experience in, or you find yourself questioning your merit about an opportunity that has presented itself because of past programming or conditioning by family of origin member(s), peers, colleagues, management, educators, partners or a combination of lived with experience breaking through the glass ceiling can be challenging on so many levels including psychologically, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Then, add the demands of family life, partners, friends, and social and leisure commitments. You have a recipe for a boiling pot of stressful events and consequences in the now and moving forward, particularly if you do not have strategies to help you manage stress as you change, grow and evolve.

For some, identifying and addressing triggers, thoughts, feelings, and emotions may be relatively easy; for others, it may be challenging or overwhelming to potentially see multiple triggers activated and the emergence of feelings such as dread, nervousness, anxiety, depression, failure, isolation, not belonging, anger, frustration etc. start to energy.  Or maybe you are somewhere in between both.  It’s OK; take a moment to breathe, process, disconnect for a couple of hours or days, find your centre, ground yourself, and figure out what you want to do and achieve moving forward. Your experiences and feelings are valid and understood. You are not alone in this journey.

Ask yourself, is this a period of adjustment? For example, if I keep going for the next few days, weeks or months, are things likely to change for the better as I adjust to a new set of circumstances and way of doing things?

As I reflect on my childhood, I recall my mother telling me words to the effect of when you move from primary to secondary school, you will be moving from a small pond into a bigger pond, that through my growth, I had outgrown the small pond and now it was time to move into the bigger pond to have new experiences and adventures.

Moving into adulthood, I hear my father saying, “If you want to play with the big boys, then you have to play by their rules”.  What I interpreted that to mean was that you had to assimilate into the environment to undertake the roles and functions required in order to work for the big companies – players.  So, if, as a business owner, I wanted to win corporate contracts, then I needed to ensure that policies and systems were in place to ensure that I had my ducks lined up in a row to win the contract, undertake the work and get paid for the work undertaken.

While I am sure you have your own words of wisdom from loved ones, mentors, and your own lived experiences, sometimes it is not enough to have and apply words of wisdom.  That is, we need to actively seek productive coping strategies to help us grow and evolve, break through glass ceilings, move to the next pond and learn how to play by the big boy’s games in order to compete and survive in the world of work as an employee or business owner.
So how do we do that?

Great Question!

There are many responses to the above question, including identifying your baselines, triggers, thoughts, feelings and emotions, questioning your life and vocational purpose, ascertaining your end goals and developing an action plan to achieve them.  But let’s face it, this can be a highly overwhelming process, particularly if strong feelings emerge and we don’t have support structures in place to help us navigate change.

So, how do you manage the stress of change, of breaking through the glass ceiling to grow and evolve to the next level of life?

One strategy might be to grab a copy of my Self-Care Awareness, Action and Planning Workbook and Card Set. This resource is designed to help you develop a personalised self-care plan and toolkit, which can be invaluable in managing the stress of change and growth.  Another thing you might do is reach out to me via my social media accounts (X (formerly Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn) and join the community of like-minded individuals worldwide for support and guidance. Alternatively, you may schedule a self-care session or personal counselling session with me for some one-on-one time.

Alternatively, you may wish to reach out to your TAFE or University Counselling team, a Workplace (EAP) Counsellor, or a counselling or mental health hotline (I have listed a range of Australian and global service providers in the back of the self-care workbook ), you may seek to undertake some self-reflection, carve out an hour or two for yourself to create a mud map of past positive coping strategies that you have used to help you navigate similar experiences and apply these now; or maybe you take some time and go and spend some time in the sunshine and the great outdoors at the beach or taking a hike in nature and allow the heaviness of the world to naturally fall away as you gently move on your walk and become fully present in the moment and simply focus on your breathing and the sensations you feel for example the warmth of the sun on your skin, the cool breeze, the animated voices of adults and children, the happy barks of dogs, the chirping of birds etc.  Upon return from your adventure, you may find that inspiration floods into your mind, so take a few moments and write your thoughts down. Give yourself time to process and contemplate your choices and consequences before deciding how you wish to proceed.

Whilst I am not telling you what to do, it may be wise to remember or contemplate if you stop now and don’t break through the glass ceiling, what will have changed?  Yes, it is OK to stop if you need or want to, but also remember that you will be giving up an opportunity that was presented to you because, on a universal level, somewhere, the timing was right. Also, remember that this opportunity may or may not be given again. But if you choose to break through, remember that this is not just about a new job or role. It’s about the potential for personal growth, the richness of life you have been dreaming of, or the richness of life you may not even have been able to contemplate because you have not been psychologically, psychically or spiritually ready for until now.  As Buddha once said, the teacher will appear when the student is ready.  Are you ready to break through your proverbial glass ceiling and embrace your potential for growth?

In closing, do not be afraid to break through your glass ceiling, be brave and strong and ask for help on your journey…but also know that if you are triggered, spiraling or struggling and it is taking a toll on you, it is OK to pull back, process and heal before your move forward.

Peace.
Katherine

Copyright 2024 Katherine Foster