A Stillness Practice for Big Life Changes
On Transition, Change & Uncertainty
Sometimes life shifts on its foundations. A job changes, a relationship ends or begins, you move to a new place, a child is born, someone dies. These are the big changes — the ones that rearrange your world. Nothing feels the same because nothing is the same. This stillness practice is for those seismic shifts that leave you rebuilding from the ground up.
Big changes are disorienting even when they're welcome. The familiar becomes unfamiliar. Routines that grounded you no longer exist. You must learn new ways of being, and that takes time and energy.
This practice offers stillness amid the upheaval — a calm center when everything around you moves.
What Big Changes Feel Like
Major life transitions have a particular quality of groundlessness — the sense that the floor has shifted beneath you.
- Nothing feels familiar anymore
- Old routines don't apply to new circumstances
- Identity questions arise — who am I now?
- Excitement and grief can coexist
- Overwhelmed by how much is different
- A sense of starting over, whether wanted or not
If life has recently shifted beneath you, the disorientation you feel is normal. Big changes require adjustment. That adjustment takes time.
The Constancy of Change
Life is always changing, but most change is gradual, nearly invisible. Big changes compress years of transformation into moments. They force us to acknowledge what slow change lets us ignore: that nothing stays the same forever.
Scripture speaks of God as unchanging — the same yesterday, today, and forever. In a world of flux, this constancy is an anchor. God remains stable when everything else shifts.
A Stillness for Shifting Ground
This practice creates a moment of stillness amid the movement.
Lord, everything is changing. The ground has shifted. What was familiar is gone or different. I do not know how to be in this new reality yet. I am learning, but learning is slow. Be my anchor in the upheaval. When everything moves, You remain. When the familiar disappears, You are still here. Give me stillness amid the shifting. Let me find solid ground in You when the world rearranges itself. Help me grieve what has passed and embrace what is coming. Steady me for the work of rebuilding, of becoming who I am in this new chapter.
After the practice, take one small action in your new reality — any action that acknowledges where you are now rather than where you were.
Navigating Major Transitions
When life shifts dramatically, these principles may help you find your footing.
- Give yourself time — adjustment is not instant
- Create new routines, even small ones, to anchor yourself
- Allow grief for what has ended, even if change is good
- Connect with people navigating similar transitions
- Be patient with your own confusion — it's normal
- Look for the opportunities within the disruption
Big changes eventually become new normals. What feels foreign today will become familiar in time. You are adapting, even when it doesn't feel like it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do big changes feel so disorienting?
We are creatures of habit and familiarity. When those are disrupted, the brain must work harder — new patterns must be learned, old ones released. This cognitive load creates exhaustion and disorientation. It's neurological, not a personal failure.
Can good changes still be hard?
Absolutely. Even positive changes involve loss — loss of the familiar, loss of a previous version of yourself. Getting married, having a child, landing a dream job — these can all be wonderful and hard simultaneously. Difficulty doesn't mean the change was wrong.
How long does adjustment take?
It varies by person and change. Minor adjustments may take weeks; major life restructuring can take years. A common guideline is that significant transitions often require at least a year before a new normal feels established. Be patient with the process.
What helps during transitions?
Structure, connection, and meaning tend to help. Create new routines, stay connected to supportive people, and look for purpose in the new chapter. Also helpful: lower expectations, extra rest, and grace for yourself as you learn new ways of being.
Related Reflections
- On the Space Between What Was and What Isn't Yet — Living in transition.
- On Change That Came Without Permission — Unwanted transitions.
- A Dreamweaving for Times of Uncertainty — When the future is unclear.
- Browse All Reflections — Find more quiet spaces for the searching soul.