Some seasons of life make the ground feel like it’s shifting beneath our feet.

Sometimes the change is something we have hoped for. A new job. A marriage. A new baby. Retirement. Moving to a new community. Watching our children grow into adulthood.

Other times, change comes without our permission. A relationship ends. A job is lost. Someone we love dies. A dream doesn’t unfold the way we imagined. Circumstances change, and suddenly the life we knew doesn’t look quite the same.

And sometimes, we find ourselves in a season that is difficult to define. Nothing dramatic has happened, but something has changed. The things that once gave us purpose may not feel the same. We may find ourselves asking, “What now?”

Life transitions are a normal part of being human, but that doesn’t mean they are always easy.

Research shows that significant life events and transitions can affect mental health, particularly when they involve major changes such as parenthood, bereavement, unemployment, housing, relationships, or other important life circumstances. (Uphoff et al., 2025).

The good news is that we can learn ways to navigate these seasons with greater awareness, compassion and authentic resilience.

What Is a Life Transition?

A life transition is more than simply something changing around us.

It is the process of psychologically adjusting to a change in our lives.

The event itself may happen quickly, but adjusting to it can take much longer.

Think about moving to a new city. You may unpack the boxes within a few weeks, but feeling at home, building relationships, and creating new routines can take months or even years.

The same is true of many transitions.

You may have moved forward physically while still trying to catch up emotionally.

Life transitions can include:

• Starting or ending a career
• Becoming a parent
• Children leaving home
• Marriage or divorce
• Moving to a new community
• Retirement
• Graduation
• Changes in friendships or relationships
• Financial changes
• Loss and grief
• Changes in health or ability
• Entering a new stage of adulthood
• Discovering that the life you once envisioned no longer fits

Not every transition is negative. In fact, some of the happiest moments of our lives are also significant transitions.

But even positive change requires adjustment.

Why Can Change Feel So Hard?

One reason transitions can be difficult is that they often involve both gain and loss at the same time.

You might gain freedom but lose familiarity.

You might gain a new opportunity but lose a sense of security.

You might be excited about your child becoming independent while simultaneously grieving the days when they needed you more.

You might know that ending a relationship was necessary while still missing the person.

This is one reason it is important not to judge our emotional responses too quickly.

Feeling sad about a change does not necessarily mean the change was wrong.

Sometimes it simply means that something mattered to us.

We can grieve more than people

When we think about grief, we often think about the death of someone we love. But grief can also accompany many other kinds of loss (Smith & Delgado, 2020).

We can grieve:

• A role we once had
• A dream we once carried
• A relationship
• A home
• A community
• A familiar routine
• A sense of identity
• A version of ourselves
• The future we thought we were going to have

This is why a transition can sometimes feel surprisingly emotional.

We aren’t simply adjusting to something new. We may also be saying goodbye to something that mattered.

The “In-Between” Season

One of the hardest parts of transition is feeling in between.

The old season has ended, but the new one doesn’t feel established yet.

You may not know what your routines should look like.

You may not know where you fit.

You may not know what you want next.

You may even wonder, “Who am I now?”

This can be especially difficult when our identity has been closely connected to a particular role.

For example, someone may have spent decades identifying primarily as a parent, teacher, farmer, business owner, spouse or caregiver. When that role changes, there can be an unexpected question underneath the practical changes:

“Who am I if I’m not doing what I’ve always done?”

Our identities develop within relationships, roles, and communities, and research has increasingly recognized the connection between life transitions, social identity, stress, and mental health. (Praharso et al., 2017)

Being in between doesn’t mean you are lost.

It may simply mean that you are still becoming familiar with the next version of your life.

You Don’t Have to Figure Everything Out at Once

One pressure we put on ourselves during transition is the expectation that we should quickly know what comes next.

But adjustment takes time.

Instead of asking:

“What am I going to do with the rest of my life?”

try asking:

“What is the next healthy step?”

That step might be very small.

• Make the phone call.
• Have the conversation.
• Establish a new routine.
• Get outside.
• Reconnect with someone.
• Try something you’ve been curious about.
• Give yourself permission to rest.
• Seek professional support.
• Spend some time figuring out what matters to you now.

You don’t need the entire map before taking the next step.

Five Ways to Navigate a Life Transition

When life changes, a few simple things can help:

• Acknowledge what has changed. Give yourself space to recognize both the losses and the gains.
• Allow yourself to grieve. Even positive transitions can involve loss.
• Focus on what you can control. You don’t need to know the whole path—just the next step.
• Stay connected. Let trusted people walk alongside you.
• Give yourself time. Adjustment doesn’t happen overnight.

You Don’t Have to Have It All Figured Out

Transitions can leave us somewhere between what was and what comes next. That in-between place can feel uncomfortable, but it doesn’t mean you’re stuck.

Give yourself permission to slow down, acknowledge what you’re feeling and take things one step at a time.

You don’t have to have the whole path figured out. You just need to take the next step.

A Moment to Reflect

• What am I leaving behind?
• What am I carrying forward?
• What is one healthy step I can take next?

Life transitions can bring both loss and possibility. If you’re struggling to find your footing, reaching out for support can help.

One season ending doesn’t mean your story is over. It may simply be the beginning of something new.

References:

Praharso, N. F., Tear, M. J., & Cruwys, T. (2017). Stressful life transitions and wellbeing: A comparison of the stress buffering hypothesis and the social identity model of identity change. Psychiatry research, 247, 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2016.11.039

Smith, P.H. and Delgado, H. (2020), Working With Non-Death Losses in Counseling: An Overview of Grief Needs and Approaches. Adultspan Journal, 19: 118-127. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsp.12100

Uphoff, E. P., Zamperoni, V., Yap, J., Simmonds, R., Rodgers, M., Dawson, S., Seymour, C., Kousoulis, A., & Churchill, R. (2025). Mental health promotion and protection relating to key life events and transitions in adulthood: a rapid systematic review of systematic reviews. Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England), 34(2), 182–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2022.2069724

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