When Everything Changes

Why life transitions can be so lonely and what to do about it.

Let’s talk about those messy middle moments - the times when life is shifting, and nothing feels certain anymore.

• Maybe your long-term relationship has ended, and you’re suddenly faced with empty weekends and questions you never thought you’d have to answer.

• Maybe you’ve become a parent and are wondering where your old self has gone - or if they're ever coming back.

• Maybe you’ve lost a loved one, or a job, or a version of yourself that used to feel solid, and now the ground beneath you feels unsteady.

• Maybe you’ve moved to a new town, started over, or found yourself sitting in the quiet of a life that looks fine on paper but feels completely unfamiliar inside.

• Maybe you’ve had to make job changes, or had to pivot careers, or you’re working two jobs just to get by - and it’s exhausting, confusing, and no one really talks about how much it impacts your sense of self.

• Or maybe everything looks the same from the outside, but inside, something has shifted - and you don’t know what to do with that feeling.

These are life transitions. And they can feel disorienting, invisible, and incredibly isolating.

Lately on Instagram, I’ve been talking a lot about these moments in life. 

I asked in a few polls how people actually experience transitions, and the results hit home. Most of you said you’d only reach out for support in a crisis or afterwards - not before.

And here’s what really struck me: nearly 90% of you said you wished you’d got help sooner.

That pause between something ending and something new beginning can feel like floating in space. No wonder it’s hard to reach out for support. You might not even have the words for what’s happening yet!!

So why do life transitions feel so isolating?

Here’s what I hear again and again - from clients, friends, and even that little voice in my own head sometimes:

• “I should be coping better.”

• “Other people go through this all the time and manage.”

• “It’s not that bad, others have it way worse, I’ll get over it soon.”

• “What would I even say if I asked for help?”

These beliefs are so common. And yet, they keep us stuck in a kind of emotional holding pattern - waiting until the weight becomes too much before we let ourselves soften into support.

Transitions Don’t Have to Be Trauma

Life transitions are emotional events - even if they don’t look dramatic on the outside. 

They stir up identity shifts, grief, anxiety, and questions we’re often not ready to answer.

And because they’re not always recognised as “crises,” it can be hard to know where to turn.

But your experience matters. Even if it’s quiet. Even if no one else sees it.

Here’s something I want you to know:You don’t have to wait until you're in pieces to seek support. Even if you're not ready to reach out to friends or family, or get the professional help, there's other ways out there that can help you can feel supported.

I am currently creating my new self-led guide, ‘When Everything Changes’, as a companion for those in-between moments - the ones where you're no longer who you were, but not quite sure who you're becoming either.

It’s for those of you who are tired of “just coping.”It’s for those of you who want a private, compassionate space to breathe, reflect, and rebuild - without having to explain themselves before they're ready.

Why This Guide Exists

I am designing When Everything Changes around the stages I see time and time again in my counselling work:

1. Preparing for Change – When you can feel something coming, and it’s all tension and unknowns.

2. Coping in the Crisis – When it hits, and you’re just trying to stay afloat.

3. Healing Through Grief – When you start to feel the weight of what you’ve lost.

4. Rebuilding and Rediscovering You – When you’re ready to move, gently, toward something new.

And because not everyone is ready for counselling straight away, this guide will be self-led and designed to feel like a quiet companion. 

There will be space to find your voice, notice the sensations you’re feeling and recognise what it is you need, in those very moments you’d usually feel so disconnected and just keep ‘going’.

Inside, you’ll also find tools like:

• Affirmations for the days when your inner critic is loud

• Audio meditations to calm your nervous system

• Journal prompts (not too heavy, promise!)

• Printable grounding exercises for when it all feels a bit much

• Self-care ideas that go beyond the surface level bubble baths (unless that’s your thing!)

• Emotion trackers

• Real life stories of others in their ‘storms’ and their healing - so you know you’re not alone.

• Resource lists incase you want to absorb more narratives around life changes.

You’re Not Broken - You’re Becoming

If you’ve ever looked around and thought, “Why does this feel so hard?” this will be for you.

If you’ve ever told yourself to just “get on with it,” while quietly holding everything together - this will be for you. 

If you're someone who wishes you'd reached out sooner... it's not too late to begin now.

Transitions are not a sign of failure. 

They're invitations to deepen, shift, grow, and realign. And yes - they’re hard. But you don’t have to navigate them alone.

If this resonates with you, keep an eye out for When Everything Changes. 

It’s coming soon, and I’m making it for you.

Pop your email in the 'Keep Updated' box on my website to be the first to hear when it's available later this Spring.

Warmly,

Jacqueline Green

Psychotherapist, East Lothian

Instagram: @jacquelinegreencounselling