Managing Change & Emotional Wellbeing From Unravelling to Understanding

Lauren Parry
Nov 18
3 min read

Estimated reading time: 5–6 minutes

1. When “Fixing It” Becomes the Goal

“I just feel like I can’t shift this. Maybe HRT will fix everything, won’t it?”

There’s a moment many of us reach, when the emotional and physical overlap so completely that we grasp for anything that might bring relief.

For some, it’s medication or HRT. For others, it’s a lifestyle overhaul or self-help overload. Beneath it all is hope and the belief that we can get back to who we were.

But what if change isn’t something to fix?

What if it’s something to befriend?

2. Negotiating with the Body

Listening for Emotional Wellbeing During Change

“I know I’m messing with the system… but I also know that I need sleep.”

This captures the tension so many people feel, between what we’ve been told is “normal” and what our body is trying to tell us.

Hormones, neurodiversity, stress and life transitions all alter how our nervous system regulates itself. It’s not defiance - it’s adaptation.

Learning to listen rather than override those signals is an act of emotional intelligence.

3. The Cost of Gaslighting - Ours and Theirs

“It feels very gaslighting.”

“So many people have horror stories… procedures without relief and told the pain isn’t real.”

When medical experiences invalidate our pain, the result isn’t just frustration, it’s mistrust of our own perception.

That’s why self-advocacy, shared stories and trauma-informed healthcare are essential.

Healing begins when validation replaces dismissal.

4. The Shifting Sense of Self

“Who even am I? I used to be bold and confident, now I’m anxious to drive.”

Change can alter not just our routines but our identity. Confidence, energy and independence may ebb and flow and it’s easy to feel lost in that.

But this isn’t failure; it’s evolution. Sometimes, identity rebuilds itself in quieter, slower seasons.

Someone described it so powerfully:

“Anxiety is so subtle… like smoke in a room. It builds before you even realise it’s there.”

Awareness can be both freeing and frustrating; we can see what’s happening, yet still feel trapped inside it.

5. Learning from the Seasons

“Autumn invites us to harvest what we want to keep and let go of the rest.”

In our work, we often draw on seasonal metaphors to bring gentleness into self-reflection.

Autumn asks us to slow down, sort through and prepare for rest, much like the body and mind during change.

“We are balancing from output to input. Autumn is gathering, preparing for winter’s rest.”

Menopause, grief or burnout can all act as personal autumns, times to release old expectations and make space for what’s next.

6. From Awareness to Renewal

The conversation around change and wellbeing often ends at awareness but that’s only halfway.

What brings true healing is ritual and rhythm:

Simple grounding tools like a sunrise alarm to restore natural cycles.
Checking your window of tolerance before the day begins.
Reconnecting with community to stay anchored when self-regulation feels hard.
Using self-care tools (like Reiki, walking meditation, or creative practice) not as fixes, but as nourishment.

These are not luxuries. They are ways back to the “green zone”, the state where body and mind can finally exhale.