The Beauty of Becoming: Embracing Life’s Transitions with Resilience
Life’s transitions—whether unexpected setbacks or profound transformations—test our resilience, but when we lean in, embrace discomfort, and rewrite our narratives, we uncover the beauty of becoming.
I’ve been reflecting a lot on transitions lately. I used to have an aversion to change—the uncertainty of it all was too overwhelming. I tried to gamify it, telling myself, “Here I am, back at square one, starting over.” But that only led to frustration. Starting over again?
And today, I’m about to join a podcast where I’ll talk about some of my life’s biggest transitions. As I reflected on past experiences, I noticed a shift. Instead of focusing on my current feelings, I began to open up to the word transition because of the hope embedded within it—the belief that the butterfly moment always comes.
However, unlike these creatures who go through one major metamorphic transition, we have the mystical ability to evolve in countless directions—and to keep evolving. If we choose, we can experience the butterfly moment again and again.
Lessons from My Hardest Transitions
Growing up, I prided myself on my athleticism. As a tall, somewhat clumsy girl who managed to break her arm two years in a row (surgery included), my mom quickly directed me to the water. And I loved it. I loved being with my friends every day, learning new skills, and realizing that with enough dedication, I could excel.
Summer swim team turned into year-round training with practices before school. By high school, I was in the water 25 hours a week—before school, after school, during holidays. I joined one of the most elite swim teams in the country, training alongside Olympians. I grew as an athlete and as a person, eventually achieving my dream of making a Division I swim team. I felt on top of the world.
Then, budget cuts hit. At the start of my second year, I was blindsided by a call from my roommate: I hadn’t made the list. It hadn’t even occurred to me to check in person.
FUCK! My 19-year-old self was shattered. I felt like a complete failure. I scrambled to rebuild my identity—trying to go to church, taking on multiple side jobs, numbing myself with alcohol. At the same time, my parents were divorcing, our family was transitioning to a new normal, and I was drowning in emotions I didn’t know how to process. My best friend and I call this my Avril Lavigne phase—angry, lost, and unsure of how to move forward.
Now, 20 years later, I would sit quietly beside that angry teenager. I would hold space for her to feel her rage, to try and escape, to numb, to distract. And when she finally cracked open, when the sadness flooded the room, I would hold her.
The Wisdom I Know Now
When life gets hard, our first instinct is to escape—to numb, to distract, to run. But that’s exactly when we need to lean in. To sit in the discomfort. To let it move through us. I only understand this now because of my daughter and her big, overwhelming feelings. Which brings me to another transition.
The Transition into Motherhood
Becoming a mother was everything I ever wanted. We were fortunate to conceive quickly, and my daughter was born in March 2020 in Berlin—just as COVID-19 began its global spread. I remember going home with my newborn, armed with nothing but the instruction to wash my hands and hope for the best.
Then, one by one, all the visits from my American family were cancelled. My Mom whom I had insisted didn’t need to be there for the birth (biggest mistake ever!), rebooked her flight at least six times over the next year and a half. My dad and sister had planned European business trips around that time—cancelled.
At first, after years of constant travel for work, my husband and I welcomed the stillness. But isolation quickly set in. My family didn’t meet my daughter until she was 18 months old. Though my mother-in-law and sister-in-law offered support, it wasn’t the same.
I was alone with a baby who wanted to be in my arms every moment, who breastfed around the clock for two years, who miraculously got all her teeth and started walking in her first year. I was exhausted, likely nutrient-depleted, and for the first time in a long time, I felt completely lost. Despite years of success, I was struggling to thrive as a mother.
And the thought that crept in over and over: Where is the village?
Ironically, because of COVID, we spent months in my husband’s tiny German village. Yet even in the village, I felt desperately alone. In hindsight, I’m not even sure if more support would have helped because my daughter—still a deeply attached, loving child—simply needed me.
But here’s where past transitions served me. Instead of numbing, distracting, or escaping, I sat with my feelings. I breastfed my baby, loved her fiercely, and let the tidal wave of emotions rise and fall. The ones I had ignored as I climbed the corporate ladder. The ones that had fuelled my success. Everything came back up—and I faced it.
The Power of Self-Talk and Mindset
If I could go back, I would ask myself: What do you need to hear to get through this tough time? Because my self-talk was brutal. It felt like life was happening to me, like everything was beyond my control. But now I know—mindset is everything. The best way to take control of your life is to take control of your thoughts.
Fast forward to last fall, when I faced the most intense, stressful period of my life. Anxiety skyrocketed, my appetite disappeared, and my thoughts spiralled. But I had wisdom from past transitions. I knew I had no choice. So every morning, I woke up (often before my alarm, thanks to insomnia) and committed to my workout.
Every day, I pressed play on my Peloton. Jess Simms shouted wisdom at me while I pedaled through tears. Talk to yourself on purpose. So I did. I forced myself to feed my mind the words of my better self—even when I didn’t feel like her.
Transformation: A Continuous Choice
The power of transformation doesn’t always look like a beautiful butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Sometimes, it’s a resilient butterfly choosing—over and over again—to enter a new state of being.
Because unlike the butterfly, we don’t just evolve once. If we choose, we get to keep transforming—again and again.
About Meghan Opitz
I am the hero of my own epic journey, sharing authentic stories of hope, growth, and resilience through the lens of the modern woman. This space is where humor meets real-life moments, offering reflections on navigating life’s complexities, embracing inner strength, and uncovering joy in the everyday.
As an American expat who has called Berlin home for nearly a decade, I bring a unique perspective on bridging US and European markets. I specialize in unlocking potential and creating connections that drive success on both sides of the Atlantic, offering fresh insights that blend cultural understanding with actionable strategies.
Learn more about me on my website, and let’s connect on LinkedIn.
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