You know that thing where it's not one massive earthquake, but like five or six significant shifts happening, sometimes at once, sometimes with a pause before starting all over again? That's where I've been for awhile.

A Quick Disclaimer

What I'm sharing here works for me in my own imperfect way. I don't always do these things — some days I forget them entirely and spiral for three hours before remembering I literally not only coach this stuff, but am versed in the tools I need to use. The point isn't perfection; it’s practice.

This is the first part in a 3-part series about what I've learned through my own messy, beautiful journey. Your path might look different, and that's not just okay—it's exactly how it should be. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and trust your own inner wisdom above all else.

My Journey Through Change

The last few years have brought waves of significant change—some I chose, some that chose me.

I came to terms with a chronic condition diagnosis and learned to build a life around it. I've radically shifted my profession. I've questioned and reimagined everything from where I live to how I move through the world to what relationships serve me.

One of the biggest things I’ve realized is that you can be both proud of how you're handling something AND exhausted by it. Both grateful for the growth AND grieving what you've had to let go of. Both the coach who guides others AND the person who needs guidance herself.

Any one of these scenarios would be significant. Combined, they've been a complete life reconstruction. Some days I navigate this beautifully. Other days I wonder how much more I can handle. Most days I'm somewhere in between—doing my best, using my tools imperfectly, learning as I go.

That's where I've been. Where I am now. And likely where I'll be again at some point in the future—because that's how life works.

My capacity is lower than usual. My emotional bandwidth is stretched. And I'm having to be really intentional about what gets my energy. Some days I'm grounded and capable. Other days I'm completely overwhelmed. I'm on this journey just as much as you are.

The Internal Foundation: Three Practices That Help

So what's actually helping me navigate all of this? These three practices. They aren't about fixing or controlling, but rather creating clarity and ground to stand on when everything feels unstable.

Acknowledge It's Happening

This might be the most important practice of all: Don't avoid what's real.

Recent studies have shown there are multiple reasons why accepting negative emotions and thoughts can help mitigate negative emotions. People who accept their emotions are less likely to ruminate, which perpetuates negative feelings.

I've learned that avoidance, while temporarily protective, usually costs more in the long run. When we refuse to acknowledge a change that's happening, we don't make it go away; we just lose the opportunity to move through it consciously.

For me, acknowledgment looks like sitting down and actually saying the words out loud, even if no one else is in the room: "This is really happening." "My life is changing, and that brings up a lot of feelings." "I'm in transition, and that's uncomfortable." “I wish I didn’t have to go through this, but I’m accepting it’s out of my control.”

There's power in naming the truth. It stops us from gaslighting ourselves, from numbing out, from sleepwalking through our own lives. You don't have to like what's happening. You don't have to be positive about it — just acknowledge it's real.

What this looks like in practice:

Saying out loud to yourself or someone you trust: "I'm in the middle of something big"
Writing in your journal: "Here's what's actually happening right now..."
Acknowledging the discomfort without trying to immediately fix it
Stopping the pretense that everything is fine when it isn't

In the moments I acknowledge the full scope of what I am navigating—not just one change but the cumulative effect of several, I release myself from being surprised by my exhaustion. I stop judging myself for not having more bandwidth. The acknowledgment itself creates space.

Lay It All Out

There's something almost magical about taking the swirling chaos in your mind and putting it somewhere you can actually see it.

For me, this means writing—journaling, making lists, creating mind maps, whatever gets the thoughts out of my head and onto paper or the screen. I write about the practical stuff: what's actually happening, what decisions need to be made, what steps come next, how this might show up and impact other parts of my daily life. But I also write about the messy emotional landscape—the stress points, the fears, the excitement, the grief that often accompanies even positive changes.

Visualization helps too. Sometimes I'll draw it out or simply close my eyes and imagine myself on the other side of this transition. What does that version of me look like? How does she feel? What has she learned?

What this looks like in practice:

Brain dump: 10 minutes of unfiltered writing about what's in your head
Two-column list: "What's actually happening" vs. "What I'm feeling about it"
Mind map: Put the change in the center, branch out with all the connected elements
Vision exercise: Close your eyes and visualize yourself six months from now—what do you see?
Draw, doodle, or create something visual if words aren't flowing

I don't do this perfectly. Sometimes I avoid writing about it because I don't want to look at what's there. But when I do lay it all out, I always feel lighter or at least like I have a clearer picture of what’s ahead. The chaos becomes manageable when it's external instead of internal. Bottling up emotions can show up as being worried and anxious all the time, overreacting, and stress in your body, which can impact and influence various aspects of your health.

Give Yourself Timeline Reality Checks

We often think we "should" be through a transition faster than is realistic.

I catch myself thinking, “Why am I still struggling with this?” or “Shouldn't this be resolved by now?” or “When is it going to stop?” But significant life changes don't resolve on our preferred timeline, and they also don’t wait until one ends for another to begin. Recovery can take months or years, or even be an ongoing process. Career pivots take years, not months. Even something that seems as simple as a house or vehicle repair can play out for what seems like an eternity. Identity shifts happen in layers over time.

When I give myself a reality check about timelines, I give permission to stop rushing my own process. I stop comparing my chapter three to someone else's chapter twenty. I remember that change is not always linear.

What this looks like in practice:

Asking yourself: "What's a realistic timeline for this kind of change?"
Giving yourself permission to still be processing something months or years later
Releasing the "I should be over this by now" narrative
Celebrating where you are in the journey, not just the destination
Trusting that your timeline is yours—not what you see on social media or what worked for someone else

I recently realized that some of what I'm navigating I might need to count on continuing to be there in the near future. At first, that felt overwhelming. But then it felt like permission. I could stop rushing. I could just be here.

Pause and Reflect

What are you resisting, acknowledging? What needs to be laid out? What’s your honest timeline?

Grab your journal or just sit with these for a moment.

*Finding ground when everything else feels uncertain*

The Work Continues

These three practices, acknowledging, laying it out, and reality-checking timelines, form the foundation of how I navigate change from the inside out. They don't make the change easier, but they make it more conscious. More intentional. Less like something happening to me and more like something I'm moving through.

But internal work is only part of the equation. Next week, in part 2, I'll share the practical, external actions I'm taking—how I externalize emotions, create actual space in my life, protect my energy, and use my self-care toolkit. Because awareness without action leaves us stuck.

Until then, I'm curious: Which of these three practices resonates most with where you are right now? What tools help you that perhaps aren’t listed here? Drop me a line or a comment, because I’d love to support you where you are.

Ready to navigate your life transition with support instead of struggling through alone? I'd love to help you move through what you're facing with tools that actually fit your life. Because when you have someone holding space for both your struggle and your strength, the path forward becomes clearer.

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