Sometimes when our lives are about to change, we can sense it before we can see it. These are a few of the experiences you might have right before a massive shift takes place.

1. You’ll start to phase out of denial.

When we’re really stuck in life, denial is the shield we use to protect ourselves from the panic of acknowledging everything that’s wrong because we don’t yet have the confidence to believe we can fix it.

When we’re approaching a big life change, what we’re really coming up on is the tipping point at which we are finally ready to reconcile what’s been “off” for a pretty long time.

This means that you’re going to be phasing out of the denial period, and into anger, regret, remorse, and even sadness.

These are feelings you’ve had pent up for a really long time, that you probably feel safe enough to release now because you know the story is changing, your life is adjusting as it really needed to be all along.

We don’t snap out of denial one day, we slowly come out of it in phases, and eventually, we arrive at acceptance that we weren’t happy before.

2. You’ll look back at the choices that lead you here.

Big life changes are often a time for reflection.

It’s when we realize that we’re moving from one chapter to the next that we often stop to take stock of what happened in our story prior, and how that contributed to where we are now.

More than anything, we start to become more self-aware.

We begin to recognize why we ended up where we did, and why. We begin to think about the choices that lead us to where we currently stand, and how we might need to choose differently if we want a different outcome in the future.

Whether you’re proud of what you’ve done or regretful, either way, this reflection process gleans a lot of important wisdom for moving forward.

3. You’ll get clear on what you really want.

The process of getting out of denial is also the process of getting into alignment.

When you acknowledge what you do not want, you cannot help but identify its opposite: what you do want.

You might discover that realizing what you want is not an inspiring process. Quite the opposite, in fact.

You might arrive at these conclusions from a place of anger, regret, and total exasperation. You might realize that you’ve been denying yourself even the ability to recognize what you want, let alone pursue it wholeheartedly.

Regardless of how you arrive, what’s important is that you can no longer neglect what you truly desire, and that’s a good thing, even if it’s uncomfortable in the process.

4. You’ll shed everything that you no longer want to carry.

You might find yourself physically releasing what’s around you.

You might clean out your closet and the clothes that no longer suit you, you might go through your belongings and do a deep purge. You might change where you live, stop talking to some friends and connect with others, and so on, and so forth.

This is a subconscious way of making your outer world align with what’s happening throughout your inner world.

Deep down, you know you’re moving on, and you can’t do so with all of the weight of the past keeping you stuck.

5. You’ll address other long-standing issues.

When you heal one part of your life, it tends to radiate out and touch all of the others.

Maybe you’re getting out of denial regarding the city you’re living in, or the type of work that you do, or the long-term viability of a relationship. In the process, you might find yourself wanting to address other things that have been bothering you for a long time.

When we improve or elevate one part of our lives, the others that remain unhealed begin to stand out more starkly in comparison.

Just remember to take it one thing at a time and not totally overwhelm yourself.

You can both acknowledge what needs to change while doing it at a safe pace.

6. Things will start to come full-circle.

With all of this revelation and change happening, you might find yourself having a “full circle” ending.

Maybe you kind of always had a hunch about what you’re doing now. Maybe you’re accepting parts of yourself that have existed all along, though you’ve been in denial of them.

Maybe you’re realizing that you kind of always, deep down, knew what you know now, even though you tried to avoid it. Maybe you’re finally coming to terms with what you wanted all along.

Maybe you can remember yourself saying: I always wanted to live there.

Maybe you are finally realizing that the work that comes most effortlessly to you is always what you were meant to be doing. 

Maybe you are recognizing that you knew your relationship was a dead-end from the very beginning, but you pursued it anyway. 

No matter what’s shifting or what revelations are occurring, you might find that you’re sort of ending where you started, and it’s really more comforting than you’d imagine.

7. You’ll rediscover your sense of self.

A natural side-effect of recognizing what you do and do not want in your life is likewise realizing who you are and are not.

In this process, you might find that you’re discovering a stronger, and clearer, sense of self.

You know what you want, you know what you’re good at, you know what you want to experience.

You’re adjusting who you are on the outside to better reflect who you know you are on the inside, and it’s a bittersweet process. While it can be a pretty hard ego-hit to accept that you haven’t been the person you want to be, it’s quickly released in favor of the feeling of finally being truer to yourself, which is invaluable, and irreplaceable.

You’re realizing that you’re worthy of the life you want, and you have always been.

8. You’ll start to feel deep inner peace.

Through all the periods of clearing stored emotions, getting out of denial and embracing who you are, you’ll find that glimpses of deep, inner peace are becoming more normal.

This will be different than being excited or energized, because this sense is really the feeling that you’re finally where you’re supposed to be, not anxious that you’ll never arrive, or that you don’t deserve to.

You’re starting to sense that you’re showing up in the moment the way you want to be, and it’s a life-changing realization to have.

9. You’ll start to have long-term clarity.

The funny thing about figuring out what you want in the moment is that it often lend itself to the bigger picture, too.

You might find yourself realizing what you want long-term, or what your life might look like. This might have been completely foreign to you just a short while ago, but now that you’re becoming more comfortable with who you are and what you want, it’s easier to see ahead, and that’s something you take additional comfort in.

10. You’ll let go with gratitude, and step in with grace.

Periods of transition can be tough, but when you’re really ready, you’ll know how to let go with gratitude, and step in with grace.

What this means is that you’ll be thankful for everything you’ve experienced, including each misstep and mistake. From each, you learned something invaluable, and for that, you won’t really regret it.

Then you’ll step in with that same sense of appreciation. You’ll take the first strides into your new chapter with a feeling of ease and awe, because you know what it’s like to live out of alignment with who you are — and you’ll never forget how good it feels to finally be on the other side.