Life Transitions: When Change Stirs up Anxiety & Depression
Change is natural—but it can be unsettling. Even transitions you anticipated or chose can trigger anxiety, symptoms of depression, or a deep sense of “where do I belong now?” These changes poke at identity, security, and connection.
Being “alive” while in transition doesn’t always feel good. It can feel chaotic, uncertain, or lonely. But these moments also carry potential for growth, healing, and new beginnings.
“It is when we are in a transition that we are most completely alive.”
— William Bridges
Common Life Transitions That Often Trigger Deep Emotion
Emotional challenges occur throughout our lifespan and often surface during:
Career changes or dissatisfaction
Empty nesting or children moving out
Divorce, separation, or the end of a long-term partnership
Relocation or starting over
Aging, health shifts, changes in energy
Death of loved ones or facing mortality
Even positive transitions—like a new relationship, growing your family, or retiring—can stir up ambiguous grief as you let go of old roles and new ones form. This is where life transitions therapy becomes a valuable support.
Why Transitions Feel So Hard
Transitions often involve loss—of structure, identity, relationships, and familiar roles. And until the new settles in, you may feel suspended in uncertainty.
Old wounds or unprocessed grief often resurface, layering on emotional weight. That’s why many people turn to life transitions therapy or midlife therapy in Renton and Seattle for support.
Anxiety and Depression as the Engine Light
In transitions, anxiety or depression can act like an engine warning light—signaling that something is amiss.
You might notice subtle signs:
Restlessness, racing thoughts, or irritability
Numbness, fatigue, or loss of interest
Foggy thinking or lack of clarity
Changes in sleep, appetite, or energy
Disconnection from purpose or relationships
These symptoms reflect a nervous system under pressure—not a flaw in you.
The Nervous System’s Role in Change
Your nervous system craves safety and predictability, and transitions often disrupt that sense of internal balance. You might swing between tension and withdrawal, feeling overwhelmed or shut down.
These patterns are responses—not weaknesses. With support like trauma-informed therapy and nervous system regulation, you can rebuild stability and groundedness through transitions.
How Therapy Helps You Navigate Change
You don’t have to navigate transitions alone. Therapy offers a held space to:
Name and process grief, anxiety, and disorientation
Rebuild regulation and a sense of safety
Clarify identity, meaning, and purpose
I use Lifespan Integration therapy—a body-based method tuned to your internal rhythms. LI supports you to:
Stay present when old patterns resurface
Release what no longer serves you
Strengthen internal resilience
Gently carry forward what matters
This approach is especially fitting during transitions, helping your system integrate past patterns so they don’t hijack your present.
Life Transitions Intensives: Support Built for Big Shifts
If you’re navigating multiple overlapping transitions—career, relationships, identity—Life Transitions Intensives provide a more immersive, retreat-style container for healing. These intensives allow you to:
Slow down and listen deeply
Hold grief, burnout, and identity shifts with support
Generate forward momentum when you feel stuck
They’re not quick fixes, but powerful catalysts for clarity and alignment.
Moving Forward With Resilience
Transitions may stir anxiety or depression, but they can also become profound turning points. With the right support, you can:
Move through grief without stagnation
Reconnect with purpose and meaning
Strengthen your internal foundation
Step into change as possibility, not just disruption
If you’re in a period of transition—grief, aging, career shifts, relational struggles, identity changes—know support is available.
At Space for Grief (Renton & Seattle, WA), I specialize in life transitions therapy, grief work, and emotional integration through Lifespan Integration therapy. Together, we’ll gently move you out of survival mode, lighten what weighs you down, and help you reclaim your grounded, vital self.
Healing and transformation are possible. Reach out today.
