How to Cope When Everything in Your Life Is Changing at Once

A down-to-earth way of looking at it

There are seasons in life where everything seems to shift at the same time — relationships, routines, identity, work, home, friendships, even the way you feel inside your own skin.

It can be overwhelming in a very real way. Not because you’re weak…but because your nervous system is trying to process multiple losses, multiple beginnings, and multiple unknowns all at once.

If it feels like the ground is moving under you, here’s what’s actually going on — and a few ways to stay steady while everything rearranges itself.

1. Your body is reacting before your mind can catch up

When life changes quickly, your body feels it first.

You might notice:

• restlessness

• trouble concentrating

• tightness in the chest or stomach

• waves of emotion that come out of nowhere

• exhaustion

• wanting to withdraw

This is your system saying, “Too much, too fast.”

It’s not a personal failure — it’s biology.

What helps: Tiny pockets of grounding. Not a full self-care routine — literally a few minutes at a time. A walk. A shower. Hand on chest. Slow breath. One cup of tea without a screen.

Small is enough right now.

2. You’re grieving more than you realise

Change — even change you choose — comes with grief. You’re not just adjusting to the new thing…you’re saying goodbye to the old.

Sometimes people grieve:

• the version of themselves they used to be

• the certainty they once had

• old roles and identities

• old friendships

• stability

• a sense of control

Let yourself feel it without trying to name it too neatly. Grief is messy, layered, and not something to “figure out.”

3. Your sense of identity is being rewritten

When multiple areas of your life change at once, it affects your sense of self in a really deep way.

You might catch yourself thinking:

• “Who even am I now?”

• “I don’t recognise myself.”

• “I feel like I’m in between versions.”

This is the psychological core of transition. You’re not doing anything wrong — you’re simply in the part where your old identity has fallen away, and the new one hasn’t fully formed.

It’s a normal phase. It just feels uncomfortable because you can’t “push through” it.

4. You’re not meant to have clarity yet

This is the part nobody likes to hear, but it’s true:

Clarity comes after the chaos, not before it.

When everything shifts at once, your mind looks for a plan, a direction, a guarantee… something to hold onto. But this is the in-between where clarity is growing, not fully visible.

You’re not supposed to know the next step yet. You’re supposed to stabilise first.

5. Support makes a massive difference

Humans aren’t built to manage transition alone. Not because we’re incapable — but because the nervous system regulates best in connection.

Talking to someone who understands this stage can:

• reduce overwhelm

• calm your body

• help you process the grief

• remind you you’re not broken

• make the next step feel less terrifying

Even one grounded conversation can shift things.

6. Focus on what stays the same

When everything feels like it’s changing, it helps to anchor into what isn’t.

Ask yourself:

• Who feels safe right now?

• What daily rituals still hold me?

• What tiny routines can I keep?

• What parts of me haven’t changed at all?

When life widens, these are the threads that keep you steady.

7. Remember: the overwhelm is temporary

You’re not falling apart. You’re recalibrating. Your inner landscape is catching up with your outer world.

There will be a moment where things settle again — and you’ll realise you made it through a chapter you weren’t sure you could handle.

This is the part where you’re being reshaped, not ruined.

If you’re in the thick of it right now

Please know this: You don’t have to make big decisions while you’re overwhelmed. You don’t have to choose a direction today. You don’t have to hold everything alone.

You’re allowed to move slowly. You’re allowed to not know. You’re allowed to take this one breath at a time.

If everything feels chaotic or uncertain and you need a grounded space to make sense of what’s shifting, you’re welcome to book an Integration Session. It's a calm, pressure-free hour where we look at what’s changing, what’s asking to be released, and what your next steady step might be.

You can book a session or join the mailing list here: www.wearebetwixt.co.uk