Successful Student Transitions - A Time to Thrive

A common concern for students when moving to University or new jobs is about fitting in and making friends.

We have a strong evolutionary need for connection and belonging.

In this episode we talk about nurturing support relationships. We discuss:

• Why it is so important to us that we make friends - and quickly.

• Some surprising research about friendship development.

• Ways of developing new friendships - what to do and what not to do.

• What we hope to find in new friendships.

Times of transitions often bring a mix of challenge and optimism. In this episode we discuss the role that hope can play in moving forward positively through periods of adjustment.

In this episode we discuss:

What we mean when we talk about hope.

How it is helpful to notice our 'what if' thinking.

Questions to help you identify what you hope for.

The value of pathway thinking and personal reflection.

We all do it - we have BIG plans on what we are going to get done only to find at the end of the day, not a lot occurred.

We get disappointed with ourselves and tell ourselves all kinds of stories about how useless we are.

And yet, what we are really suffering from is a natural and normal human experience - procrastination.

In this episode we unpack procrastination and ask:

• How common a problem is it?

• Why we procrastinate

• A whole range of ideas to help you reduce your procrastination

Developing new friendships in times of transition can feel challenging and at times highly charged, just think of freshers week!

And yet, we all need good friendships, to feel connected and as though we belong.

In episode 9 we talk about relationships more broadly. Here we talk about the value of asking for help in developing new friendships. It turns out asking for help has multiple benefits.

Listen on as we discuss:

• Why relationships and friendships are important.

• Why we don't ask for help enough.

• How we can benefit as both the giver and the receiver of help.

• How we can ask for help effectively using the SMART acronym.

• Where to find help at college/university.

We are often good at showing empathy and self-compassion to others and then being really harsh on ourselves. Learn to nurture your self-compassion.

In this episode we discuss:

• The flows of compassion and how there is a lot of potential for self-compassion to grow.

• How we would treat a treasured friend - what would we say and do?

• The role our inner critic plays in negatively impacting our self-talk.

• Why it is important to think about the relationship we have with ourselves.

• Being kind to ourselves.

• The value of noticing and naming.

• The interesting relationship between self-compassion and procrastination.

We can hit bumpy times when we make big changes in our lives. Knowing why we made those decisions and what is important to us can help to carry us through the challenging times.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why when starting something new it is worth understanding why it is important to us.

• The difference between hedonia and eudaemonia when thinking about what matters in our lives.

• The value of understanding what is most important to us - our values.

• How to determine what is important to us in each area of our lives.

When we are experiencing times of change and transition, our thoughts can tell us all kinds of things - some helpful, some not so much.

In this episode, Elizabeth leads Louise and you through an exercise, helping us to reflect on:

• The normal thoughts that we experience during times of transition - the 'what if's' and why they can sometimes be challenging.

• We discuss their origins - and it may not be what you think!

• We learn how many thoughts we have a day

• We learn how to distinguish a velcro from a teflon thought and what to do with those sticky velcro thoughts.

To access the Free Transcript visit Successful Student Transitions HERE

Moving to a new job, location and/or university can be both exciting and challenging. It can feel a bit like you're riding the waves, some carry you high and some overwhelm you.

In this episode we share strategies and approaches to help you ride the waves of change successfully.

We talk about the:

• S curves of change

• How the metaphor and acronym RAFT can support you as your ride the waves of change from saying your goodbyes to settling into the next exciting stage of your life.

• The importance of a supportive environment.

• The value of routines when it comes to your wellbeing.

• How to tame your inner critic and value self-compassion.

Go HERE learn more about the podcast, download a PDF of the full transcript and discover more about the THINK SHEETS we create for each episode

In this introductory overview episode we discuss how to positively frame the transition experience and learn to settle well in a new environment.

We talk about:

• The challenges students face.

• Research about the impact of mobility on learning.

• The nature of change, transition and adjustment and why struggle can be part of the journey.

• Strategies to help

You can access the full transcript for free, register for our newsletter and purchase the Thinking Sheets HERE