Ep 100 - Navigating Emotional Milestones and Life Events

Faye Casement Author

Jul 14, 2024 |

Hello, hello, hello and welcome to a very special episode of the Wellness 4 Women Show. Today, we're celebrating a huge milestone. It’s my 100th solo podcast episode! 🎉 Can you believe it? What a journey it’s been so far, so many episodes all filled to the brim even if I do so myself, insight, inspiration and a ton of implementable content, even more if you are in the membership and grabbing the episode resource and I’m so grateful to have each of you with me.

Today, as I celebrate this milestone, I want to help you explore your thoughts on significant milestones and life events including a really personal share from me and hopefully I can make it through without crying!

These moments can often make us pause and reflect on where we are and where we want to go.

It can be a very emotional time and so we’ll discuss the emotions and thoughts that can come up around milestones, how we can navigate them and embrace change with love so we can continue to thrive.

First up let’s talk about milestones and life events and the thoughts and emotions we can have.

The Emotional Landscape of Milestones and Life Events

I tend to find milestones and life events can bring a mix of emotions. Tell me in the chat if you re the same and what the last milestone / life event you had that gave you pause for thought?

We can have a whole host of thoughts leading up to them, as they are happening, and after.

Sometimes the emotions are in the negative as we can find we have anxiety about the future or rumination over the past, or in the positive filled with hope, and excitement for what's to come or maybe we are just neutral.

Sometimes we have them all!

It's natural to have a variety of emotions as these milestones and life events can bring with them change, maybe the ending of a chapter or season of life, and new beginnings.

Our brains are not a fan of change, and so our dear brains can go into a bit of spin as the status quo is rocked.

As we go through life, we are going to encounter different milestones and life events, such as births, deaths, and marriages, job changes, birthdays, graduations, divorce, moving to a new place, starting a new relationship, each of these potentially signifying an end or something, and a beginning.

Any of these events can trigger emotions and reactions within us.

What I would offer to you is it is important to acknowledge and understand your beliefs, thoughts and emotions during these times, as they can have a significant impact on your mental health and well-being and the actions you are then taking and results you will have.

Let’s just be clear though, it's okay and perfectly normal to feel a mix of emotions during these times; it's all part of being human. Where the work is, is endeavouring to not letting them overwhelm us to the point where we can’t move forward, it’s in seeking to embrace and feel these emotions and to navigate through the transitions with as much love and kindness as we can and where necessary curiosity and if we need to reframe it, as an opportunity for growth.

To help you with this I want to share how a milestone and life events have impacted me recently to see if you can resonate.

If you are on my mailing list (and if not hop on there now, hit up the description box for a link to a free digital goody bag), you will already know this but there was a milestone birthday that happened recently.

My daughter turned 18!

My beautiful teeny tiny little baby girl is now a beautiful, caring, smart, funny, fully grown adult!

I had been going around for weeks saying, ‘It’s not right,’ and ‘How did this happen?’ Joking about it but In hindsight I was in denial and trying to make light of the emotions that were building. But it all suddenly became very and I mean very real!

Being vulnerable and honest it’s been a whirlwind of emotions these past few weeks.

I have felt happiness, pride, and joy. Seeing her stepping into a new chapter of her life with endless possibilities ahead is an amazing thing.

But I also found myself really emotional, and I mean really emotional with lots and lots of crying, which is rare for me.

I have also felt sadness, fear, and even grief to name just a few.

I feel like I have had so many emotions these past two weeks with them all crashing in waves and sometimes all at once.

I was thinking about how time had flown by and how my own life has changed and is changing. There is fear of the unknown for her and for me, fear of aging, and grief for the fact that chapter of my life is over and that life as I knew it was ending.

There has been uncertainty as to what this next chapter could bring for me and for her.

I had been to a wedding the previous week, also. A beautiful wedding of a very good friend, and this too brought up a lot of thoughts about life and what I wanted from it in terms of relationships.

Add this to an already busy life of a probably perimenopausal women who is still doing mum things, tending house, busy in a day job and there was a lot going on.

These extra thoughts and feelings around these milestones and life events have led to litteral roller coaster of thoughts and emotions and feeling a bit burnt out.

Once my brain started there was also no stopping her and a shit spiral ensued with some really surprising thoughts in there, like how her life is just beginning, while it felt like mine was on the wane, how I wasn’t where I wanted to be right now and some really mean girl thoughts about my personal appearance, personality and life in general.

Not going to lie there was a full-blown pity party for one going on and it didn’t feel good.

Thankfully though I am now so much more aware of my thought and feelings that I could clearly see these needed to be explored, challenged, working through and released as I didn’t want them getting trapped inside to fester.

So, I’ve took a step back from my normal busyness to try and take stock and work through the emotions. There has been a fair amount of staring into space, procrastinating, avoiding and ruminating but I also journaled, self coached, got coached, spoken to friends, self facilitated some Belief Coding®️ I brought out my full arsenal of tools.

It has been a bit overwhelming, but it is if we look at this positively, it has been an opportunity for reflection, to take stock, and to grow.

It is an opportunity to decide, where do I go from here? What do I want?

I want to live and empowered life so I know I get to chose, I get to decide and if I want something I need to take the actions to get there.

If you find yourself in a similar boat it may feel at the start that you can’t cope, that it is all too much, that everything is broken and wrong as I did but what I would like you to take away from this that you don’t have to stay in the cycle and you can reach out for support on how to move and transition through it.

The Power of Reflection and Self-Awareness

So, how can you navigate a milestone or life event in a way that supports your growth and well-being? It all starts with the power of reflection and self-awareness, which ties perfectly with the 'Awareness' aspect of the Triple-A-Way™️.

When you find yourself facing a significant milestone, remember there are always two sides to the coin. On one side, you might feel negative emotions like fear, anxiety, or sadness. It will be tempting to try to make these feelings go away or to ignore them entirely. But there's a more empowering approach. You can choose to work through these emotions, embody them, and eventually release them.

Reflection isn't just about looking back with nostalgia; it's about learning from our experiences and using those lessons to guide our future steps. By increasing your self awareness you can acknowledge your feelings, understand where they come from, and decide how you want to move forward.

Reflecting on my daughter's 18th birthday made me realise the importance of cherishing every moment that we had together in the past, ensuring that I want to be present with her now and also to ensure that no matter where life takes her near or far I will stand by her side even if that is virtually.

As painful as some of these emotions have been it has brought to light the areas where I had grown and succeed that I could celebrate like raising a bloody fabulous human being, and it has highlighted the parts of myself that still need nurturing and attention given to them. This kind of self-awareness is crucial for personal growth and long term well-being.

So I offer to you that you first step is reflection, to identify your strengths, successes annd things you can celebrate and then with love identify any areas for improvement.

Actionable Steps For Navigating Milestones & Life Events

Remember, you don't have to navigate these emotions alone. If you're finding it challenging to process a recent milestone or life event, consider joining the membership to get this weeks resource or reaching out for coaching or a Belief Coding®️ whatever you do seek the support you need to move forward with confidence and clarity.

You can also :

Journal: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you process emotions and gain clarity. Try to journal regularly, especially during significant life events.

Increase your mindfulness: These practices can help you stay grounded and present. Mindfulness techniques can help you observe your thoughts without getting overwhelmed by them.

Set intentions: Instead of making rigid goals, set intentions that align with your values and aspirations. Intentions have more flexibility to them so you can focus on the journey rather than the destination and can take the pressure off but yet move you forward.

Connect with others: Sharing your experiences with friends, family, or a supportive community can provide comfort and new perspectives so reach out in either the free group or member group. Part of sharing my story with you today is me connecting with other too.

Keep Figuring It Out!

Finally, let’s talk about the future.

Your future is a blank canvas, and you get to decide what you paint on it.

Use this milestones and life event as a stepping stone rather than a barrier.

Use the wisdom, experience, and resilience that it is bringing to you to set your course and chase new or old dream, find that renewed sense of purpose as you get to shape your future.

Wrapping Up

Right that’s it for this week ladies.

Let me know your thoughts.

Are you going through a transitional phase? Have you had a milestone or life event recently or got one coming up. What are your take aways that you are going to try.

Until next week, bye for now.