Life Transitions in Uncertain Times

Recently, a client shared something that felt deeply familiar.
They weren’t grieving a personal loss in the traditional sense. No death in the family. No singular event they could point to. And yet, they felt heavy, exhausted, and unsettled, like the ground beneath them was no longer steady.

What they were responding to is what so many of us are witnessing in front of us: political violence playing out publicly, the normalization of cruelty as policy, and the way certain lives are framed as expendable for the sake of order or power.

They said, “I don’t know why this is affecting me so much, but I can’t unsee it.”

That sentence holds a lot of truth.

The Invisible Grief of This Moment

Life transitions don’t always come from personal milestones. Sometimes they come from a shift in how we understand the world.

Many people are carrying invisible grief right now. Grief for the loss of a sense of moral safety. Grief for institutions that were once believed to protect. Grief for the belief that suffering would be met with care rather than calculation. Grief for a world that felt more predictable, more humane, and more secure.

This kind of grief often goes unnamed. There is no ceremony for it. No clear language. And yet it lives in the body as anxiety, vigilance, numbness, or deep fatigue.

In trauma psychology, we talk about the assumptive world, the internal belief that the world is generally safe, people are mostly good, and actions have some level of fairness or logic. When we witness ongoing violence, cruelty, or dehumanization, that assumptive world shatters.

When that happens, uncertainty can feel overwhelming.

The Pressure to Figure It Out

During times of upheaval, there is often an unspoken expectation to stay productive, decisive, and composed. To figure things out quickly. To move on. To adapt without slowing down.

But when the nervous system is absorbing constant threat, even indirectly, clarity does not arrive on demand.

If you are feeling unsettled, confused, or emotionally drained right now, it does not mean you are failing to cope. It means your system is responding to a world that feels increasingly unpredictable.

You are allowed to move slowly.
You are allowed to not have answers yet.

Grounding in the Next Small Step

Hope in times like these rarely arrives as optimism. It tends to arrive quietly.

It shows up as grounding yourself in what is within reach today. Limiting exposure to what overwhelms your nervous system. Choosing one small, values-aligned action rather than trying to solve everything. Letting connection, rather than certainty, be the anchor.

Healing during life transitions is not about rushing toward resolution. It is about creating enough safety in the present moment to take the next small step, even when the future feels unclear.

Sometimes that step is simply acknowledging that what you are feeling makes sense.

About the Author

Ashma Hakani, LCSW-S is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of Renewed Hope Therapy, PLLC. She specializes in grief, trauma, anxiety, and relationship issues, providing compassionate, culturally competent, and trauma-informed care. With over 18 years of experience, she utilizes evidence-based approaches to support her clients in building resilience and coping skills. Ashma also offers clinical supervision and mental health education to individuals and communities. Her work is rooted in the belief that healing is a journey, and she is dedicated to walking alongside her clients every step of the way.

For more information, visit: renewedhopetherapypllc.com
📞 Intake Line: (832) 819-4128