Life transitions can be rough even in the best of times. They force us to reflect and reorganize what we thought we knew about ourselves and the world. They throw our worries and insecurities into sharp relief against the fabric of the unfamiliar. Transitions ask us to reflect on who we are and who we want to become.

I’ve been reflecting on some of my own transitions recently and noticing the parts of myself they have been bringing out. The desire to cling to the familiar and the fear of the new. The alternating elation, doubt, and occasional disappointment of what a new experience can bring.

In going through this process myself, I’ve been finding value in meditation as an anchoring practice. Meditation invites us to explore the process of change. The more we fight and try to force change, the more stuck we become.

The past few months have been a process for me of getting stuck and unstuck. A practice of acceptance that can feel very circular. I often think of therapy as a gradual process of moving toward the center of a very large circular maze. We move through the process more or less intentionally and a lot of it looks familiar, yet somehow different each time.

Here is a brief meditative practice to use in times of transition:

Sit up and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through the nose and slowly exhale through the mouth.
Scan the body to find a place that feels relatively comfortable, grounded, and/or calm.
Notice any feelings that may be arising around the transitions in your life and where those feelings reside in your body.
Spend a few minutes just observing the physical sensations present in the comfortable and uncomfortable spaces, pendulating back and forth with the breath.
Intentionally allow your mind to drift back and forth. Imagine each pendulum swing becoming a little slower, a little shorter, until you slow all the way down.
Stay here as long as you like. Repeat as needed.

Happy meditating! :)