Does Life Feel Uncertain Right Now? | How to Stay Grounded When Nothing Feels Stable

There is something uniquely unsettling about not knowing what comes next. Not a loud crisis, just a quiet unsteadiness that follows you into your everyday moments. In this episode we talk honestly about what it feels like to be in a season of change, why the discomfort of transition is not a sign that something is wrong, and how to build a sense of inner stability even when the ground beneath you keeps shifting. You do not have to have it all figured out to feel okay right now.

🎧 If life has been feeling a little unsteady lately, this one is for you. Come listen.

Transcript

Why Growth Feels Uncomfortable

The Cocoon Stage Metaphor

Stop Rushing Clarity

Practical Ways To Feel Grounded

Stillness Builds Self-Trust

Reflection And Closing Reminders

Speaker 0:07

Hey friends, welcome back to another episode of Become with Kethney. Now, today I want to talk about a feeling sometimes that we get, depending on where we're at at life, where it's not necessarily that things are going wrong, but it's just this feeling of not feeling satisfied or settled. And it's not that your life is falling apart. You might just be in a season of waiting, a season where you're just in between, in between here and there. And there can be your goals, there can be a destination. You know what you're working towards, but you just haven't arrived yet. So you're in that in-between moments. Or sometimes things can be shifting. Say you pivoted from different interests, and you're trying to figure things out, trying to gain clarity, and in understanding and working through what you have to do next, things might feel unclear. That's another in-between state. Once again, you your life isn't necessarily falling apart, but you're not settled yet because you haven't arrived to where you want to be. And it's natural to feel unsteady even while you're growing. Because in those in between moments, you are in fact still growing. You're learning, you're developing. You're becoming who you need to be in order to get to that next stage. And that's what we're talking about today. You're not falling apart, you're just in between who you were and who you're trying to become. In that space, no one tells you that it's supposed to feel uncomfortable. And it's because you're literally getting outside of your comfort zone. Change is never easy. Yet we all go through it, we all change and we all evolve. That's how we become for the most part our best selves. Stick around to the end of today's episode so you can hear all of my thoughts and reflections on this topic. Remember, you're never alone. I've definitely had this feeling, and I'm sure this feeling will come as my interest evolves as I grow up and navigate my life's journey. So stick with me. That's what we're gonna dive into now. So let's call it what it is. Growth, it doesn't always feel exciting. And for us thrill seekers, or maybe even for those of us who are used to just go, go, go, always having a path laid out for us. We're used to this excitement. And that's honestly, to be fair, what's shown on social media these days. People rarely show the in between. Because the in between, it can feel lackluster, it can be bleh. Some might even define it as boring, it can feel unsettling. And that's exactly for the most part what it's like. It's the grind. It's the grind in between who you were and who you're trying to become. So, yes, it can feel uncomfortable. And yes, it can feel unsettling. And like I said, no one ever talks about that awkward middle. They don't talk about the breakdown. Or the part where you're just waiting or just going through the motions till you get to that next exciting phase. I want to clearly state that being in that in-between stage, it's not a problem. Don't view it as a problem. That is a necessary transition. I like to think about it as a butterfly or a caterpillar, actually, morphing into a butterfly. At first, you have the beginning stages, which is probably exciting for the caterpillar because it gets to be out. It's allowed to roam, eat a lot of food so it can store the energy it needs for that in-between stage of preparing itself to be a butterfly. The butterfly is the end goal, the exciting goal where it has beautiful wings. It all of a sudden gets to fly and roam, where before it was only allowed to sort of crawl to get to places. And I bet you that in-between stage of being curled up in a cocoon, essentially sleeping while its body regenerates and reforms into this butterfly is probably one of the dullest parts of its existence. And so that's just one analogy and example that I wanted to use because I'm pretty sure it's a children's book. I think it was called The Hungry Caterpillar. Let me know if I'm right or wrong, but that's a great way to sort of describe this in-between stage. We get, we have our beginning where it's like, oh, I want to go after this goal. This is so exciting. I know what I want to do. You have the end. Oh, I achieved the goal. I'm so happy. I get to live in it. And people often skip about and don't even bother thinking about the in-between. You know, what you need to do to get there, things that might not be as exciting. And there are other scenarios too, where you have your beginning, you're working to a goal, and then you change your mind, and you're working towards a new goal, you're trying to figure out how to get to a new goal, or even define what that new goal is. It can be foggy. And even in that moment, you have an in-between. And that in-between is what's building your character, what's building who you are and the traits that you need to have in order to get to that next stage. So, yeah, things may feel off in this in-between stage, because oftentimes you just want to skip to the end. And don't we all just want to skip to the end? And when you're there, you know, nothing's necessarily wrong, but it's just feeling blah. Because you just want to make it. You just want to shut your eyes and be like, okay, am I there yet? Like that movie. Are we there yet? And that's okay, that's natural. I don't think we say that enough. Especially depending on your culture, where you come from, life often feels, can feel sometimes like go, go, go. And when society pushes the go-go go, and all of a sudden you're taking a more relaxed approach or it's not as rushed, you feel like it's something might be off. And the answer is it's not necessarily. It's not. And so it's our instincts to try and find a solution, or maybe even overanalyze these moments of uncertainty. Oftentimes what people try to do is they try to figure everything out, they try to rush clarity. And they do this in order to feel something tangible or solid again. And that can be a good thing, but also I just want to let you know that going throughout that process of figuring things out, all of that is still part of your growth. You don't have to necessarily rush. Sometimes it's good to sit and reflect. Sometimes it's good to think about it. Sit in that uncomfortability. Because people may not say it, but when you're uncomfortable, you are growing. And you're growing because you're putting yourself outside of what you normally are used to. And that in itself is growth, even if it doesn't feel like it. And so I think instead of trying to fix that feeling of uncertainty when we're in that in-between stage, we should just accept it. We should accept it and we should start learning to just live in it. Let it be. Because the truth is, you do not need certainty to feel grounded. Feeling grounded does not have to mean having all the answers. Feeling grounded can mean just creating an internal steadiness within yourself. You can feel okay even when things are unclear. Accept the journey. Ways to ground yourself in this in-between phase, wherever you're at in life, are pausing instead of reacting. Analyze the facts rather than the feeling. Because I feel like we do this a lot, where we impose our perspective on things, and it's oftentimes coming from an emotional place, either a place of comparison or you're not as far ahead as you should be, or self-criticism. And I want you to try to remove that emotional lens and pull out the facts. The fact is you have this new goal. You don't understand all the steps in the journey that you need to take to get there. And you're in this in-between stage to figure it out. Or another example, the fact is you don't know what the goal is. You're trying to define a new one. You're trying to do a lot of inner reflective work to figure out what type of life you want to lead, what you even want to do with your life. And so there's lots of question marks there. There's lots of confusion. And it's natural to feel unsettled. But the fact is, having that big question mark of what is the end goal, and you sitting in that uncomfortability, that's okay because that's what's going to drive you eventually to see and clear up the fog in your life, to understand your wants, and only you can come up with that answer for yourself. Another thing that you can do is just slow down and breathe. Take calming breaths. Whenever you feel, oh, I might just want to blow up my life right now because it just feels not exciting. This in-between stage, it just feels wrong. Take a breather. Breathe. Go to sleep. Take a nap. Sometimes when we sleep and we wake up again, you come at things with the fresher, more awakened perspective. Another tip to ground yourself is to notice what's around you and focus on what's real right now. I feel like we get overwhelmed with the thought of the future. Future, future, future. And it's great. You want to think about tomorrow, but the tomorrow is never guaranteed. So as you're working towards tomorrow, balance. Balance yourself in the present, in today. And when you do that, it can feel a little bit better about just taking it day by day. And this is the last step that I have, but let's just let go of needing everything figured out. Always having to have an answer. Because sometimes you don't have the answer right away. And that's okay. That's okay. Having that curiosity will allow you to go find it. It's okay not to have the answer immediately. Just think about it this way. When you're in school and you're doing your homework, there's always a lot of practice questions. Questions that need answers. You might not know it right away, and you might do for some. Either or it's okay. The ones that you don't know right away, that's when you go on the journey of expanding your knowledge, of doing your research, and of finding a justification for the answer to the question. And remember from previous videos, if the answer is wrong, that's okay. Because you also learn from wrong answers. And when it comes to our journey of life, guess what? The only person that can tell you right from wrong, other than society, and society labels and culture and where you grew up. But jokes aside, the only person that can tell you right from wrong in terms of how to live your life is you. I can't quite explain it but it comes down to what aligns with you. Your energy, your soul. What feels right to you. What brings you happiness. And what does it in a way that helps you feel fulfilled and that you can live. Only you can answer that question so if it takes time to get that clarity so be it. Sit with that. It's okay. And this ties back to that self-trust that I was talking about in a previous episode. That self-trust, it also builds growth. The in-between stage is not about control, it's about staying true to yourself and once again learning how to handle uncertainty or in-between stages, quote unquote boring stages, confusing stages, whatever adjective that you'd like to use. I want to end with this. You do not need to have it all figured out. You just need to learn how to be okay with standing still while everything around you continues to move. Remember, movement isn't the only thing that can lead to growth. Stillness can also mean growth. So here's the reflection for this week. Where does life feel unsteady for you right now? And what helps you feel grounded in the present moment? If you'd like, remember to leave a comment, share your thoughts, or write it down in a journal. Feel free to DM me as well on any of Becoming with Kethney social media platforms. I love to connect with any and all my friends. You're not lost. You're in transition. We all go through this through various stages of life. And oftentimes this transition doesn't always happen once. Depends on the category that you're looking at. So getting used to it, realizing when it's happening, can be so powerful. Also remember that not every season is meant to feel certain. Sit with that uncertainty. Think through that phase. It's okay. Remember the tips to feel grounded in those moments rather than forcing yourself to rush and get clarity. Clarity, it will come in its time. Remember, if this episode resonated with you, follow my channel, follow Becoming with Kethney Podcast. It's on all major podcasting platforms. Remember to like, subscribe, and share this episode. If you feel like this conversation can be something that someone else might enjoy, share it with that one friend. Always remember to spread positivity and help someone else out as well. All right. Until next time. Bye.