Feeling Off? Your Nervous System in Transition
There’s a particular feeling many women describe during midlife and transition — a quiet sense that something is off.
Not wrong.
Not broken.
Just… different.
You might notice it in your energy. In how you show up to life. In the things that used to light you up but now feel flat. In an exhaustion that sleep doesn’t seem to touch, or an irritability that arrives without invitation.
If that resonates, I want you to hear this clearly from the beginning:
You are not broken.
You are not failing.
You are in transition.
And transitions are seasons unto themselves.
The Season We Rarely Talk About
So much of modern culture is built around certainty, productivity, and forward momentum. We’re taught to optimise, push through, and keep improving — often without pause.
But life doesn’t actually move in straight lines.
And neither do we.
There are seasons where clarity gives way to uncertainty. Where old identities loosen. Where the familiar no longer fits, but the new hasn’t quite arrived.
This is especially true for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, empty nests, relationship shifts, changing roles, or deep internal re-orientations.
And yet, when this season arrives, many women turn inward with judgement:
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Why can’t I handle this like I used to?”
“Why do I feel so tired, so flat, so overwhelmed?”
The truth is — nothing has gone wrong.
This is what transition feels like.
Why Feeling ‘Off’ Makes Sense (From a Nervous System Perspective)
Your nervous system is exquisitely designed to respond to change.
And here’s something many of us were never taught:
Even positive or expected change registers as stress in the body.
Hormonal shifts.
Life transitions.
Identity changes.
Emotional milestones.
Your nervous system responds by becoming more vigilant — scanning for safety, seeking predictability, conserving energy.
This isn’t weakness.
It’s biology.
But here’s the challenge: our nervous systems were designed for short bursts of stress followed by long periods of rest and co-regulation. They were designed for community, rhythm, and support.
Modern life offers very little of that.
Instead, many women are navigating:
Chronic hormonal change
Constant mental load
Caregiving for children, parents, partners, workplaces
Emotional labour that goes unseen
A culture that rewards pushing through rather than slowing down
So when your body begins to whisper “I need something different”, it often shows up as feeling “off”.
That’s not failure.
That’s information.
The Quiet Loneliness of Transition
Another experience that often accompanies this season is loneliness.
Not the kind that disappears when you’re busy or surrounded by people — but a deeper, quieter loneliness that comes from feeling unseen in what you’re actually navigating.
You may have tried to talk about it, only to be met with:
“It’s just stress.”
“Everyone goes through this.”
“Have you tried yoga?”
“You’ll be fine — just push through.”
So you stop sharing.
And the loneliness grows.
But what I see, again and again, is this:
You are not alone — there just aren’t enough spaces where women are allowed to be honest about this season.
Not enough places where you can say:
“I don’t feel like myself anymore.”
And hear back: “Me too.”
Why Support Matters More Than Fixing
Here’s one of the core truths at the heart of my work:
Women in transition don’t need to be fixed — they need to be supported.
Supported nervous systems.
Supported bodies.
Supported hearts.
This is why spaces like women’s circles matter so deeply.
True, intentional, nervous-system-aware circles offer something our modern world has forgotten how to hold:
✨ Witnessed presence
✨ Co-regulation
✨ Safety without judgement
✨ Belonging without performance
No fixing.
No advice-giving.
No pressure to be anything other than who you are.
Just space.
Honouring Your Season — A New Offering
After witnessing the power of in-person women’s circles throughout 2025, I felt a strong calling to bring this work online.
Honouring Your Season is my first online women’s circle — and the official launch event for Round Two of Season of Her™.
🗓 Tuesday, February 4
⏰ 7pm (via Zoom)
💛 FREE 60-minute gathering
This is not a workshop or masterclass.
It’s a circle.
A place to land.
To be witnessed.
To gently regulate together.
To honour exactly where you are — whether you’re in a season of transition, rest, grief, emergence, or uncertainty.
You are welcome exactly as you are.
You Are Exactly Where You Need to Be
If there’s one message I hope you carry with you from this reflection, it’s this:
Whatever season you’re in — even if it feels messy, tender, uncertain, or uncomfortable — it is a worthy season.
You don’t need to rush through it.
You don’t need to apologise for it.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
Your body knows what it’s doing.
Your nervous system is doing its best with the resources it has.
And you, my dear, are not broken.
You are growing.
You are shedding.
You are becoming.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
✨ If this reflection resonated, you’re warmly invited to listen to the full episode on the Blossoming Beyond podcast — and to join us in circle when you’re ready.
Until next time — honour your season, trust your body, and keep shining your beautiful light. 💛