Working in Liminal Space: What to Do When You’re in Between Phases 

My daughter is 2 ½, and she usually wakes up around 5 a.m., and we typically don’t leave the house until 9 a.m., which means there are four hours every morning where I need to find things to do. We bake, do yoga and water the plants. Sometimes, if the energy is right, we have a dance party. But if she’s watching a TV show or playing, and I find myself with some time, it is when I am in a small period of liminal space. That space in between two things happening in our life. And it has reminded me of the things I can do in the liminal space I find myself in in life.

I’ve lived in this liminal space for a while now. Where I’m in between doing the things I used to do and transitioning into the things my future self will do. It’s a space that’s often difficult to be in because you don’t feel like yourself, because you’re shedding your old self, but you’re not quite your new self yet. 

I’ve tried to be productive during this time. To learn new things. To get organized. To let go of that which no longer serves me. To feel confident in my mind, body and spirit. And I find myself ready for what’s next. But I’m still waiting. So I have to figure out what to do in this space.

When this happens, I like to keep a detailed schedule. It allows me to stay present. It allows me to know what’s coming next without thinking too much of the future. I can schedule times to reflect on the past so I am not living there either. Not focusing on the future, which can show up as anxiety, and not focusing on the past, which can show up as depression, allows me to live more in the present.

I find it is in this space of trying to be present, while at the same time knowing a different version of myself is yet to come, that I’m able to ground in who I am. Not the past version of myself, not the future version of myself, but who I am right now in this moment. And I’m learning that it perhaps might be what living in this liminal space is all about.

So if you find yourself in between the past and future versions of yourself, here are some ways you can live in the present:

• Find little things to do throughout your day when you have idle time. I like to read tarot cards, write and listen to audiobooks, for example.
• Do things that ground you. Go for walks in nature. Take Epsom salt baths. Swim. Have a fire. Work with the elements as much as possible.
• Work with your root chakra. Eat grounding foods like protein. Wear reds and browns. Stick your feet in the Earth and imagine yourself taking root. 
• Have fun. Be spontaneous. Do something that you normally wouldn’t do. Have lunch with a friend or do an activity with your kid/s. 
• Actively rest. Don’t sit and stare at the TV or mindlessly scroll through social media. Turn the screens off. Meditate. Sit outside. Just breathe. And let go.

I hope you find joy working in the liminal space. May you truly make it yours and feel at home within yourself. 

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