When Life Erupts: Finding Steadiness Through Sudden Change

There are times in life when everything changes very suddenly.

Just over ten years ago, my marriage ended abruptly, a couple of weeks after my Dad’s funeral. Within a short time, the two most important men in my life were gone. One through death, the other through separation.

I was free floating. The core human infrastructure that secured me to the earth disappeared overnight. Like many people in those moments, I quickly learnt to keep moving forward while everything around me fractured.

I instinctively knew not to try and “solve” the situation.

I found small ways to stay steady.

At the time I was already practising yoga regularly. It helped me anchor into my body and breathe again when my mind was spinning.

Prior to the upheaval I had started training for a half marathon in the Red Centre. I stuck to the training regime religiously, even when I was caring for my dad and had been up and down all night. It gave me structure and forward momentum, even if I was only plodding along.

One foot in front of the other. Literally. 

Over time I realised that these small daily practices mattered more than finding solutions. A few minutes of breathing. Moving the body gently. Accepting what was.

They didn’t remove the changes happening in my life. But they helped me stay present inside them.

That experience shaped a lot of how I understand transition now.

Life changes for all of us — through illness, loss, ageing, family shifts, or career changes. What helps isn’t trying to control everything. It’s having simple ways to stay connected to ourselves while life moves.

That understanding now shapes the work I share — through yoga, meditation, and one-to-one conversations with people navigating change.

Not fixing life.
Simply learning how to stay steady within it.

If you’re navigating a period of change yourself, you’re welcome to get in touch.