The In-Between: Learning to Navigate Transitions
Have you ever been really excited about something new… and still found yourself grieving what you were leaving behind? Our recent move at Inclusive Healing Center has reminded us that transitions are rarely as simple as happy or sad. They can be both, and often, so much more. In this post, we’re exploring why even positive change can feel uncomfortable, what our emotions are trying to tell us, and how we can learn to make room for all of it as we step into a new season.
Inclusive Healing Center recently made a big announcement! After two years of connecting, growing, and, most importantly, witnessing healing happen within our current space, we are excited to share that Inclusive Healing Center has moved into a new office space.
Just over two years ago, Kate and Dr. Kerri took a leap of faith by signing a lease on a small, 900-square foot office space with big dreams–to create a practice that felt like home, with a team that felt like family. What began as just the two of them quickly evolved into something more impactful than, frankly, either of them were prepared for. With the addition of two new team members, those dreams continued to grow and evolve, which also meant quickly growing out of the little space our practice had made home.
That little office held so much. It held first sessions with new clients, difficult conversations, moments of laughter, tears, breakthroughs, uncertainty, and hope. It held the beginning of relationships with people who trusted us with some of the most vulnerable parts of their stories. It held team meetings, brainstorming sessions, big ideas, and plenty of coffee. In many ways, it became more than an office. It became part of the story of how IHC came to be.
As we have made this major transition to support our growing team and our clients, we are more aware than ever that even welcome changes can bring mixed emotions–including excitement, grief, uncertainty, nostalgia, and hope.
You may be experiencing something similar. Maybe you’re moving into a new home, changing careers, beginning college, becoming a parent, ending or beginning a relationship, watching your children grow up, navigating a new diagnosis or season of healing, or simply finding yourself somewhere in life that looks very different than it did a year ago. Sometimes change is something we actively choose. Other times, it chooses us. And sometimes, even when we desperately want something to change, we can still feel sad when it actually does.
For us, there is something so exciting and inspiring about stepping into a new space and imagining all that will happen there. We picture the conversations that will take place, the relationships that will form, the clients who will walk through the doors, and the memories we haven't made yet. At the same time, saying goodbye to a place that has held so many meaningful moments brings heartache, too.
That is the thing about transitions: we don't have to choose between being excited about what is ahead and grieving what we are leaving behind. We can hold both.
As mental health providers, we see this often. While change is inevitable, it isn't always comfortable. Our brains and nervous systems tend to find comfort in what is familiar, even when the familiar isn't necessarily what is best for us. New experiences require us to adjust, adapt, and tolerate a certain amount of uncertainty… and uncertainty can feel vulnerable.
This means it is entirely possible to feel excited and anxious at the same time. Hopeful and sad. Proud and afraid. Ready and completely unprepared. Sometimes we assume that if we've made the "right" decision, we shouldn't feel conflicted about it. But mixed emotions don't necessarily mean we've made the wrong choice. Sometimes they simply mean that something mattered to us. Experiencing excitement, anxiety, hope, grief, confidence, and uncertainty all at once can create a strange emotional tension between what we know we want and what we are afraid to lose. We may find ourselves second-guessing decisions, longing for what used to be, worrying about what comes next, or wondering why a positive change doesn't feel entirely positive.
Our move has given us an opportunity to reflect on transitions more broadly. What happens psychologically when we leave something familiar behind? Why can even positive changes feel uncomfortable? How can we make space for grief while still moving forward? And what can we learn about ourselves when we are navigating change?
Because maybe the goal of a transition isn't to move forward without looking back. Maybe it's to honor where we've been, make room for what we're feeling, and trust that we can carry the meaningful parts of the past with us as we step into something new.
We are incredibly grateful for the little office that started it all, and deeply excited for everything that will unfold in this next chapter of Inclusive Healing Center. Here's to new spaces, new seasons, and all of the growth that can happen when we give ourselves permission to feel all of it.