Why Uncertainty Happens During an Identity Shift (And Why It’s Not a Problem)
- Susannah Hansen
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
You know that feeling where things no longer fit the way they used to…
but nothing new feels fully clear yet?
That space in between is often part of an identity shift.
And for many women, it gets labeled as uncertainty.
But most of the time, it’s not confusion.
It’s a phase.
What Uncertainty Actually Is (And What It Isn’t)
Uncertainty, in this context, is not:
a lack of direction
a sign you’re doing something wrong
or proof that you’re stuck
It’s what happens when:
who you’ve been no longer fits
but who you’re becoming hasn’t fully stabilized yet
You’re not lost.
You’re in the middle of a shift.
Why This Happens (Beneath the Surface)
Most people try to solve uncertainty by focusing on decisions.
“What should I do?”
“What’s the right next step?”
But uncertainty doesn’t start there.
It starts at the level of identity.
When your sense of self is shifting, clarity doesn’t come right away. Your life is reorganizing around something new.
That takes time.
How This Shows Up (Using Myself as an Example)
This is something I’ve moved through personally, not just something I guide others through.
When I look at my own patterns across different systems I use in my work, they all point to the same thing:
I’m not designed to have constant, immediate clarity.
I’m designed to move through phases of not knowing.
That shows up as:
sensing when something is off before I can explain why. Like knowing a relationship has run its course months before I can articulate what changed,
outgrowing roles, identities, or environments before I know what replaces them
needing time to feel into what’s actually aligned instead of forcing quick decisions
If I interpret that as a problem, I create pressure.
If I understand it as part of how I’m built, I move through it differently.
That shift alone changes everything.
Where It Gets Hard
Uncertainty itself isn’t usually the hardest part.
The pressure we put on ourselves to resolve it quickly is.
That’s when it turns into:
overthinking
second-guessing
trying to make decisions just to feel stable again
But premature clarity isn’t actually clarity.
It’s a way of trying to escape the discomfort of transition.
What Actually Helps
Instead of trying to force an answer, it’s more useful to shift how you’re relating to the phase you’re in.
A couple of simple ways to work with this:
1. Name the phase you’re in
“I’m in a transition.”Not everything is supposed to feel clear yet.
That alone can take a lot of pressure off.
2. Pay attention to what’s changing
Instead of asking: “What should I do?”
Start noticing:
What no longer fits
What feels different from how it used to
What still has energy, even if it’s not fully formed
Clarity builds from there.
Where a Blueprint Advisory Session Comes In
If you’re in the middle of an identity shift, it can be hard to tell what’s actually happening versus what you think should be happening.
That’s where having an outside perspective matters.
In a Soul Blueprint Advisory Session, we look at your patterns from a more objective lens so you can see:
how you’re designed to move through change
where uncertainty is part of your process
and where you may be creating pressure that isn’t actually necessary
It doesn’t force decisions.
It gives you a clearer way to understand where you are, so the next steps feel more grounded and aligned.
The Bottom Line
Uncertainty isn’t always a sign that something is wrong.
Sometimes it’s a sign that something is changing.
And you’re in the space where the old version of you has already shifted…
but the new one is still taking shape.
That space isn’t comfortable.
But it’s not a mistake.
It’s part of the process.
