This week, a lot shifted at once, and the sense of stability I usually rely on felt harder to find.

Planning, the first phase of my Life Cycle Way framework, went out the window — everything in my world was moving, and it felt like the ground below me was shaking uncontrollably.

I was 100% losing my footing.

It felt like the month had shaken my metaphorical glass snow globe without my permission, and the pieces of my family’s stability were suddenly unsettled and rearranged.

– My nervous system, already on the nervous side, went into full protection mode.

– My daughter experienced humiliation at school and stopped attending.

– My dog stumbled on the steps into the kitchen and began seizing.

– Not long after, my own body followed with a panic attack.

– My husband was carrying the familiar weight of grief on the anniversary of his father’s death.

Our collective emotional regulation — or rather, dysregulation — echoed back and forth between us, as if the week itself had paused in time.

Structure, routine, and stability weren’t gone entirely, but they suddenly felt out of reach.

The largest external shift in my life was the end of my previous employment, and I found myself feeding that emotionally charged, metaphorical elephant both grief and relief at the same time.

Music has always been a healer for me, and a consistent presence in my life. What Was I Made For? was on a loop in my head. I couldn’t remember Billie’s answer — nor did I seem to have my own.

It’s unsettling times like these where I question again, and again, what I was made for.

In my work life and personal life — what was I made for?

My Snow Globe Contained Life

The snowy thoughts of uncertainty in my head, that had been falling steadily for months, had finally settled at my feet — cold, bare, and quiet.

I had no idea what would be next. I just knew that I had lost my footing.

I also knew that I needed to rediscover how to experience feeling calm and grounded in my life, again.

For me — and maybe for others who also metaphorically live inside carefully contained snow globe worlds in order to experience calm and order — this kind of change is beyond unsettling.

My Next Gentle Step

For the moment, my Life Cycle Way supportive approach to planning and organizing has paused. And that’s okay.

I’m not trying to solve what comes next, yet. I simply don’t have the capacity.

Instead, I’m focusing on finding my footing — paying attention to what grounds me. Observing what I can see, hear, and hold. As frightening as panic attacks are, they also remind me that my breath can bring me home and help me re-enter my body.

For now I’m tending to the basics: rest, nourishing food, hygiene, and simply being. Being present for myself and my family.

How Are Things With You?

I, of all people, know this can sometimes be a tough question to respond to. But, I’m honestly asking how you are doing.

My “How Are Things?” journal reflection may be helpful if you are freezing in place and wondering how to answer this social, but often loaded, question.

I ask, because I’m wondering if you can relate to the feeling of instability, and the struggle around just trying to find your footing when life starts life-ing.

I don’t know what your season looks like right now. You might be preparing to transition to a new chapter, in the middle of something hard, or just quietly off-balance in a way that’s hard to explain. You might be surfing a fun life wave, but also might be hesitant of what comes next when you return to the shore.

Either way, it’s okay if clarity feels out of reach. I’ve learned it often does feel this way, especially when something is shifting and change is brewing.

Here are some questions I’ve been noodling on that might make sense for you right now as well.

Start by noticing and questioning:

• What feels uncertain, or wobbly, right now?
• What still feels steady, even in small or quiet ways?
• What does my body seem to be asking for more of — or less of?
• What feels too heavy to decide today?

You don’t have to answer them all, or any of them. Sometimes just noticing which one catches your attention is enough.

When things feel unsettled, coming back to your body through grounding can help. That might be as simple as planting your feet firmly on the ground, identifying what’s around you, and slowing your breath.

Or it might mean choosing one small anchor — rest, nourishing food, a familiar routine, or a conversation with someone who feels safe.

The anchor can also be a physical item.
I’ve been starting to experiment with gemstones as physical anchors I keep in my pocket, or on my desk.

Here’s What I Know Today

If there’s anything I’m learning right now, it’s this:

Be gentle with yourself (cue the words self-compassion and self-acceptance). Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend that is going through change and needs support.

Here’s what I’ve been telling myself and maybe these affirmations will land for you:

– It’s okay not to know what comes next.

– It’s okay to pause.

– It’s okay if finding your footing is the only thing you have the capacity for right now.

– It’s uncomfortable, but it really is going to be okay.

And some new favorites I’ve added in my affirmation tool box:

– I can do hard things.

– I will be okay.

You will be okay.
We will be okay.

And if the question “What Was I Made For?” is lingering for you too, you don’t have to answer it yet, or at all. Just notice, listen, and find your footing.

It will all be okay. It may even be way more than okay.

Resources

Finding Your Footing Resources

Grounding is a gentle step to take when you are trying to feel more stable in your life. Here are four resources to support you when the time may be right to explore the power of grounding.

1. Grounding Breathing Exercise (free printable):

This breathing exercise supported me during my last panic attack.

Life Planned & Organized 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Page

2. Grounding Sandals Recommendation