{"id":14503,"date":"2025-08-01T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allonehealth.com\/insights\/?p=14503"},"modified":"2026-01-21T22:56:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T22:56:59","slug":"becoming-through-change-a-practice-for-inner-transformation-during-life-transitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allonehealth.com\/insights\/becoming-through-change-a-practice-for-inner-transformation-during-life-transitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming Through Change: A Practice for Inner Transformation During Life Transitions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Jill Hinrichs<\/strong><\/a>, PPC,\u00a0 Leadership and Team Development Coach, AllOne Health\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven\u2019t heard of the acronym VUCA<\/strong>, it stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity,<\/em> and Ambiguity.<\/em> Before writing this article, I did a quick mind map of all the VUCA in my life right now. In less than two minutes, I came up with over 25 items\u2014each representing something volatile, uncertain, complex, or ambiguous. Just the process of mapping it out stirred up a surprising wave of emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s the first thing to know about coping with life transitions: emotions are normal.<\/strong>\u00a0
Feeling sad, anxious, lost, impatient, excited, numb, avoidant\u2014or even all of these at once<\/em>\u2014is part of the human experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at one of those emotions: avoidance. We all have a built-in tendency\u2014whether conscious or unconscious\u2014called the Ostrich Effect<\/strong>: the instinct to avoid negative information. This conflict arises between what our rational brain knows<\/em> is important and what our emotional brain fears<\/em> will be painful.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is here to help you lift your head out of the metaphorical sand and take one step forward into the vulnerability and potential of living in a VUCA world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Life Transitions Feel So Hard<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our brains crave stability. According to the SCARF Model<\/strong>, five core drivers shape human behavior in social settings:\u00a0
S<\/strong>tatus, C<\/strong>ertainty, A<\/strong>utonomy, R<\/strong>elatedness, and F<\/strong>airness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When life feels unpredictable, like it often does in times of transition, it\u2019s as if all five of those needs are under threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In moments like these, I find it helpful to revisit a deeper truth: the physical world is not the only reality.<\/strong> There\u2019s also the world of Being<\/em>\u2014a place of inner awareness. If you have a mindfulness practice (or even just moments of silence), you\u2019ve likely experienced this: noticing your thoughts, emotions, and sensations as they come and go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything changes. But one thing remains constant\u2014the part of you that observes.<\/strong> This part of you\u2014your awareness\u2014is you.<\/em> Not your job title, not your beliefs, not your emotional state. You, as awareness, are the calm presence underneath it all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Let\u2019s Be Real\u2026<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s nice to connect to a deeper truth, but we still live in what Plato calls The World of Becoming<\/em>\u2014the physical world of responsibilities, relationships, and rapid change. So, how do we actually navigate it?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n