There are moments in life when everything changes. Sometimes suddenly. Sometimes slowly, almost without you noticing at first. A new role. A loss. A diagnosis. Motherhood. Burnout. The end of something you thought would last.

Or simply a growing sense that the life you’re living no longer fits.

There are parts of ourselves we often want to get rid of. Anxiety. Overthinking. Sensitivity. They can feel like problems. Things to fix. But what if they’re not the problem? What if they’re pointing to something important?

There’s a kind of tiredness that sleep doesn’t fix. You go to bed exhausted. You wake up exhausted. You try to rest—but it doesn’t seem to touch it. At first, it can feel confusing. You might tell yourself: “I just need a break.” “Once things calm down, I’ll feel better.” But often, things don’t calm down. And even when they do, something still feels off. This is often where burnout begins to show itself.

There’s often a moment when things start to make sense. Patterns you’ve lived with for years. Ways of thinking, feeling, and responding that never quite fit. Suddenly, there’s a name for it. ADHD.

For many women, this diagnosis doesn’t come in childhood. It comes later. After years of coping. Masking. Pushing through. And when it arrives, it can feel both clarifying - and deeply unsettling.

There’s an assumption most of us grow up with. That life will move forward in a straight line. That things will make sense. That if we make the “right” choices, everything will fall into place.

But what happens when it doesn’t? When your life feels off track. When things don’t go to plan. When you find yourself somewhere you never expected to be.

Self-awareness is often treated like a superpower.

“Know yourself,” we’re told. “Be aware of your thoughts, your feelings, your patterns.” And yes, self-awareness matters. It’s the first step. But it’s not enough.

There are moments in life that don’t make sense. Experiences that feel too big. Too painful. Too difficult to integrate. Loss. Trauma. Unexpected change. In these moments, the idea of “finding meaning” can feel distant. Sometimes even impossible.

But meaning isn’t something you force. It’s something that emerges. In therapy, we don’t rush this process. We begin with making sense. Understanding what happened. How it affected you. What it stirred.

“Getting back on track” sounds like the solution. Like there’s a right path. A version of your life you’re supposed to return to. But what if the track itself no longer fits?

There’s a version of motherhood we’re often shown. One that’s joyful. Natural. Certain. But for many women, the reality is more complex.

Becoming a mother can feel disorienting. Not just because of the practical changes—but because something deeper changes. Your identity. Your sense of self. Your place in the world. This transition has a name: matrescence.

There are some losses the world doesn’t fully see. Miscarriage. Recurrent loss. Baby loss. These experiences can feel profound—and yet often invisible.

There may be no clear language for what you’re going through. No shared rituals. No obvious place to put your grief.

Many women describe a sense that time divides. There’s a before. And an after. Even if nothing outwardly has changed. Inside, everything feels different.