The Pressure to Have It All Figured Out
There’s an unspoken expectation that if you’re starting again, you should at least know where you’re headed. A plan. A timeline. A clear sense of direction.
But many beginnings don’t arrive that way.
Sometimes you’re not restarting because you’re inspired.
You’re restarting because something ended, shifted, or fell apart—and now you’re standing in unfamiliar territory.
In moments like that, the demand for a plan can feel like too much. Not because you’re incapable, but because you’re still orienting yourself to solid ground.
Why “Just Stand Here” Is Enough for Now
When life has been unstable, your first need isn’t strategy—it’s footing.
Before you can map the road ahead, you need a place where your nervous system can settle. A moment where you’re not bracing for what’s next or replaying what’s already happened.
That’s what a place to stand offers.
It’s not a long-term vision.
It’s not a five-step process.
It’s simply the decision to pause long enough to feel your weight supported.
And that matters more than we often realize.
A Place to Stand Is Not the Same as Giving Up
Choosing to begin again without a plan doesn’t mean you’ve stopped caring about your future.
It means you’re honoring the present.
It means you understand that clarity grows from steadiness, not pressure. That direction emerges once you feel anchored enough to look up and around.
Standing still—intentionally—is not stagnation.
It’s preparation.
What “Standing” Can Look Like in Real Life
A place to stand doesn’t have to be dramatic or visible to anyone else. Often, it’s quiet and deeply personal.
It might look like:
Deciding that today is about stability, not decisions.
Giving yourself permission to pause without labeling it procrastination.
Creating one small, predictable rhythm you can return to each day.
Acknowledging, “I don’t know what’s next—and that’s okay right now.”
Standing is not about solving.
It’s about being held long enough to breathe.
Why Plans Can Wait—but Grounding Cannot
Plans require energy, clarity, and trust in yourself. If those feel thin right now, it’s not a personal failure—it’s information.
Grounding comes first.
When you give yourself a place to stand:
Your thoughts slow down.
Your body softens.
Your inner voice becomes easier to hear.
From there, the next step—whatever it is—tends to reveal itself naturally.
Not all at once.
Just enough.
A Gentle Practice for Beginning Again
If you’re in a season where planning feels overwhelming, try this instead:
Sit or stand somewhere you feel physically supported.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
Exhale longer than you inhale.
Say quietly to yourself:
“I don’t need a plan yet. I just need a place to stand.”Stay there for a few breaths before moving on with your day.
Let that be enough.
Closing Reflection
Some beginnings don’t start with momentum.
They start with stillness.
And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is stop demanding answers from yourself and allow your footing to return.
You don’t have to know where you’re going yet.
You only need a place to stand.
Rita Lynn Berry, EdS, LCMHC, is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and the founder of NewVision Counseling and Consulting Services, PLLC. She is also the creator of the Journey to Me™ program and Mend n Muse Media™, where she shares tools and reflections that support healing, resilience, and self-love.