When Change Feels Like Too Much (and Why It’s Okay to Feel That Way)

Week 16, 2025

Just like this loch, it's okay to reflect and be still

ℱ𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈... 🫶💌☕

I’ve been thinking a lot about change lately. Not just the big, dramatic shifts we expect, but those quieter, unexpected ones that kind of sneak up on us and leave us feeling unsure.

We’re always told to embrace change. To accept it and just keep going. And while that sounds good in theory, I know from experience (and from conversing with many of you) that when your nervous system is already on edge, even the tiniest change can feel like way too much.

If change has ever meant something unsettling to you—like loss, grief, or something that made you feel unsafe—then I totally get it. Your body learned how to protect you, and now, even the gentlest shift can send up a red flag. That doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It just means your body is doing its job—and we can’t be mad at that, right?

Imagine placing your hand over your heart right now.

Feel that warmth.

Take a moment to tell yourself:

“It’s okay. I don’t have to have it all figured out today.”

I’ve been thinking more about how we often try to push through change, thinking it’ll make things easier. But what if, instead of trying to speed through it, we just sat with it? What if we didn’t fight the discomfort? What if we gave ourselves permission to be tender with it?

That doesn’t mean giving up or avoiding what’s ahead. It just means acknowledging the present moment, whatever it may look like.

Picture yourself standing at the edge of something new.

You don’t have to take a step right now.

You can just stand there, breathe,
and feel the earth beneath your feet.

You’re not rushing.
You’re just being for now.

Change doesn’t have to be this thing we have to conquer. I’ve come to realise that, even when it’s hard, we don’t have to face it all at once. We don’t have to force ourselves to keep up with everyone else’s pace.

Sometimes, the most resilient thing we can do is let ourselves slow down.

There’s no need to pretend like we have it all together, or to force ourselves to be calm when we’re anything but. It’s okay to feel tender. It’s okay to take time. You’re not weak for feeling this way. You’re human.

And just to remind you, you’re not alone in any of this. If you’re in the middle of a change right now—big or small, expected or unexpected—I feel you.

I invite you to take a breath.

Picture your nervous system like a river—
sometimes flowing fast,
other times slow,

and even in the still moments,
it’s still moving forward.

You’re moving forward,
even when it doesn’t feel that way.

As always, I’ve penciled a little poem for you. I understand how easy it is to think we have to rush through change, to think we’re somehow falling behind. But sometimes, it’s in the stillness where we find the most strength.

The Flow of Change

Not all rivers rush, some take their time,
They move at their own pace, steady and fine.

The bend in the stream, where change begins,
Even in stillness, as the current spins.

So when the world calls, and you're standing still,
Know you're just as brave, holding space and freewill.

It’s okay to move slower.

It’s okay to feel like you're just standing still sometimes.

You’re still growing, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment… you’re moving forward in ways you can’t even see yet.

You’re allowed to take your time.
You’re allowed to take up space.
You’re allowed to feel all the feelings.

And remember: You don’t have to rush. You don’t have to push.

You’re allowed to be exactly where you are.

Imagine, again, your nervous system as a river.

Some days it’s fast,
other days it’s still,

and that’s all okay.

You’re exactly where you need to be.

I’m here with you, holding space.

And if something in here resonated with you, take a moment to breathe, to let it sink in.

No need to do anything else, just be with it.

That’s enough for today.

𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓉𝓊𝒹𝑒,

🙏 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒶 𝓍𝑜