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Taking your time to move on from one situation before rushing into something new is a bit like not jumping into the deep end of the pool before you know how to swim. It's about making sure you're ready for what comes next without feeling overwhelmed or unprepared. This can apply to many areas of your life, whether you're dealing with friendships, school projects, or hobbies.

When something comes to an end, like a friendship or a special project you've worked hard on, it might feel tempting to jump straight into something else. This might be because you feel a gap you want to fill or you're just trying to distract yourself from feeling sad or disappointed. However, rushing into the next thing without taking a breather can sometimes lead to more stress or a sense that you're not really into it. Here's a look at why it's often a good idea to take a step back and relax before moving on.

Why Is It Important to Take Your Time?

First, taking your time helps you understand your feelings about what's just ended. Were you happy with how it turned out? Could something have been better? Understanding these things can help you learn and grow. It also gives you time to get used to the change. Changes, even small ones, can have big impacts on our lives, and feeling comfortable with change can take a bit of time.

Secondly, giving yourself a moment can help prevent hasty decisions. It's common to make quick choices just to fill a void or because you're feeling down. These decisions might not always be the best ones for you in the long run.

Lastly, taking it slow allows you to genuinely enjoy your achievements and reflect on your experiences. It gives you a chance to celebrate your successes or learn from what didn't go as planned.

How Moving On Slowly Might Affect You

As a young person, you're constantly experiencing endings and beginnings, from finishing a school year to starting new hobbies or making new friends. Each time you face an ending, taking your time before moving on can affect you in different ways:

• Emotional Health: Slowly moving on gives you space to process your emotions, which is important for maintaining good mental health. Whether you're feeling happy, sad, or a bit confused, giving yourself time to deal with these feelings can make you stronger emotionally.
• Decision Making: By not rushing, you'll likely make more considered and thoughtful decisions about what to do next. This means you're more likely to choose activities or friends that really match your interests and values.
• Personal Growth: Each ending has lessons to teach, whether it's learning how to deal with conflict or understanding what kind of activities you enjoy most. Taking your time helps you absorb these lessons and use them to make better choices in the future.

Practical Strategies to Help You Move On Slowly

Here are some strategies that might help you take your time and move on without rushing:

1. Reflect on Your Experiences: Spend some time thinking about what you've just finished. Write down what you liked about it, what you didn't like, and what you might want to do differently next time. This can help you make sense of your experiences.
2. Set Personal Goals: After you've reflected, think about what you want to achieve next. Setting goals can give you a clearer direction without rushing into something that might not be right for you.
3. Talk About Your Feelings: It's okay to talk to someone a friend, a family member, or even a teacher about how you're feeling. Sharing can help you understand your emotions better and they might give you good advice.
4. Take on Small Challenges: Instead of starting something big and new, try taking small steps that can lead to big changes over time. This could be learning a new skill little by little or making new friends slowly at school.
5. Give Yourself Time to Rest: It's important to not only take emotional breaks but also physical ones. Make sure you have time just to relax and do things that you enjoy without any pressure.

Remember, everyone moves at their own pace, and that's completely fine. Whether it's ending a project, transitioning between school years, or any other change, it's okay to take your time. You might find that considering each step carefully leads to more fulfilling experiences and better decisions.

Learning to cope with endings and take your time moving on is a valuable skill that will help you throughout your life. It ensures that you are fully prepared and genuinely interested in your new pursuits, rather than just rushing to fill time or escape feelings. Plus, it's a great way to ensure that the choices you make really align with who you are and who you want to be.

Think of it as preparing the ground before planting a new seed you want to make sure everything is just right so that your new plans can grow into something beautiful and strong.

How are you feeling?

It is really important that when we need help, we feel able to ask for it. This could be speaking to a parent, a close friend, a teacher or someone else you trust. Sometimes it can be really hard to share our feelings with other people but if we are feeling low or don't know where to turn, sharing with others is really important. Teachers will always take you seriously and listen to your problems in confidence if you approach them for help. Likewise, parents, siblings or friends will help you if you reach out to them.

If you feel like you can't speak to anyone you know, there are people and organisations that can help support you:

• Childline - Call them on 0800 1111 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
• NSPCC - Call them on 0808 800 5000 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday or email them on help@NSPCC.org.uk
• The Samaritans – Call them on 116 123 any time of the day or night, every day of the week
• SANE – Call 0300 304 7000 for support (4:30pm - 10:30pm every day)
• Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 (9:00am - 6:00pm Monday to Friday)

*Sometimes we will use real life examples in our articles to aid understanding. When we do, names and ages will be changed.