In the swell of change: finding ground in a world that’s shifting
Through this wild global transition, as the world clings to a white-water raft hurtling into who-knows-what, we’re being called to ground, soften, and hold ourselves—and each other—with more care.
We are all in transition. Not just personally, but collectively.
The kind of change we’re living through is seismic—global, societal, economic, environmental, and technological.
And the truth is: we don’t yet know where it’s taking us.
This isn’t just a moment. It’s a threshold—and it’s deeply disorienting.
We’re watching the world around us shift in real time:
Climate change is accelerating, with 2023 recorded as the hottest year on record.
Authoritarian ideologies are on the rise, threatening democracy and deepening polarisation.
Economic inequality is worsening. Insecure work, high living costs, and shrinking safety nets are making life more precarious.
Technological disruption is reshaping everything—AI is moving fast, and quantum computing is close behind.
Pandemics may no longer be rare. Scientists now speak of an “age of pandemics,” driven by global travel, environmental breakdown, and zoonotic disease.
Political plate tectonics. Ecological tipping points. Social norms. Collective narratives.
Everywhere we turn, something is shifting.
In short: the future feels out of our control.
And that can be quietly terrifying.
We’re not just swimming in collective transition—we’re also navigating deeply personal ones
On top of the vast global upheaval, we’re, very likely, each moving through personal changes.
And they’re happening more often than ever.
Bruce Feiler, in Life Is in the Transitions, found that the average person experiences a major life upheaval every 12–18 months—and a “lifequake” every few years.
These are the moments that rearrange our identity, our relationships, our sense of purpose.
And they rarely follow a neat arc.
Life, more than ever, is nonlinear.
We’re navigating a double transition:
The collective and the personal, layered on top of each other.
Groundlessness: the triple-layered transition we’re living through
William Bridges outlines three stages of transition: Endings, the Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings.
Right now, it feels like we’re living in all three at once:
Endings – Stability, systems, and stories we once took for granted are falling away
Neutral zone – The in-between space where nothing feels certain. It’s chaotic, vulnerable, and strangely full of possibility
New beginnings – They’re here too, but quiet. Small experiments. New ways of gathering, working, imagining
We are walking across a bridge that’s still being built.
What can we do in times like these?
We learn to tuck and roll.
To soften where we can.
To build rhythms and practices that tether us gently to something steady.
Here are a few places to begin:
Name what you’re feeling.
Denial feeds anxiety. Naming creates space and perspective.Focus on small rituals.
Tea at the same time each morning. A daily walk. A few minutes of stillness before sleep. Rhythm soothes the nervous system.Limit doom-scrolling.
Stay informed, but know your limits. You weren’t made to hold the whole world all the time.Grieve what’s ending.
Make space to mourn. Grief is how we honour what mattered.Stay connected.
Isolation intensifies fear. Find safe places where you can speak freely and be heard.
And if you’re feeling it too...
If this swell of change has left you feeling tired, stretched, or uncertain—you’re not alone.
We’re all trying to walk across a moving bridge.
We’re all holding stories of what’s ended, what’s not yet begun, and what still feels unclear.
Sometimes, just naming that is enough.
Sometimes it helps to know others are feeling it too.
And if you ever need a steady place to land, something new is quietly forming behind the scenes.
I’ll share more soon.
With Love
T x