The waves and tides are always changing…
Change has a way of showing up unannounced, flipping your plans like a gust of wind catching the edge of an umbrella. One minute, you’re settled into a rhythm—your job, your relationships, your sense of self all humming along—and the next, everything feels upended. Maybe it’s a career pivot you didn’t see coming, a divorce, a cross-country move, or even a shift in who you are at your core. You’re not fresh out of college, winging it on youthful optimism. You’re rooted, yet still evolving. So, how do you adapt without losing yourself? Here are some ways to manage the seismic shifts and land on your feet.
Acknowledge the Messiness
Let’s get this out of the way: change is rarely neat. Even the positive ones—new jobs, fresh starts—come with a side of chaos. There’s an instinct to want to package it all up neatly, to act like you’re “handling it well,” but real adaptation requires sitting in the discomfort. Acknowledge the uncertainty, the fear, the sadness. You don’t have to love every part of the transition to eventually thrive in it. When you let yourself feel the full scope of it, you give yourself permission to move through it rather than getting stuck in resistance.
Redefine Stability
We tend to equate stability with predictability, but life doesn’t always cooperate. Instead of looking for external markers of steadiness—like a job title, a home, or a relationship—try anchoring yourself in internal stability. What values keep you grounded? What habits make you feel strong? When you focus on what’s unshakable within you, change becomes less of a wrecking ball and more of a restructuring. The scaffolding of your life might shift, but your core remains intact.
Embrace the Identity Shift
One of the hardest parts of change isn’t just the logistics—it’s the way it alters how you see yourself. A career change can make you question your competence. A breakup can leave you wondering who you are outside of that relationship. These identity shifts are unsettling but also full of possibility. Instead of mourning what was, ask yourself: Who am I becoming? What parts of myself do I get to rediscover? Change isn’t just about loss; it’s about expansion.
Take the Next Step Towards Your Dream
A period of change is a great time to turn your passion into a fulfilling career, especially if you’re ready to take the leap into something new. Whether you’re applying for jobs or building a freelance business, having a standout resume, cover letter, and portfolio is essential—especially in creative fields like writing or design. When assembling your portfolio, you can check this out to use a PDF merging tool that keeps all your work samples in one polished file. Once you combine PDF files, you can move PDF pages to ensure your content flows in the perfect order, making a strong impression on potential employers.
Curate Your Inner Circle
Not everyone in your life will know how to show up for you during a major shift. Some will minimize your struggle, others will make it about themselves, and a few will surprise you by stepping up in ways you never expected. Pay attention to who genuinely supports you. Keep the people who listen without judgment, who don’t rush you to “figure it out,” who remind you of your strength when you forget. And don’t be afraid to create some distance from those who make the transition harder than it needs to be
Trust That You’ll Land on Your Feet
If you look back at your life, you’ll see a pattern: Every time you thought you wouldn’t make it through something, you did. Maybe not gracefully, maybe not without a few scars, but you made it. This change won’t break you either. You don’t have to have it all figured out today. You just have to trust that the version of you on the other side is waiting, stronger and wiser than you can even imagine.
Change doesn’t come with a roadmap, but you don’t need one. You have everything within you to navigate this, to adapt, to grow. And maybe, just maybe, to come out the other side not just okay—but better.
Amy Walton has dealt with many changes in her life, including some BIG ones. Change is part of life, and Amy believes one must learn to “go with the flow” and to expect positive growth to emerge from the changes in one’s life. Contact her at amywaltocncoaching@gmail.com to learn more about her services, including her bodywork and grief coaching.
This article as written in partnership with Leslie Campos of Well Parents. To learn more about healthy parenting and wellness, connect with Leslie at leslie.campos@wellparents.com.
