09/05/2026
This is me soaking in the last vacation with my oldest son before he left for college this summer. What you can’t see are my puffy eyes behind the sunnies that welled up every time I let myself think about my baby boy leaving the nest. And trust me when I say I had a lot of parts misfiring at once- the protective mom, the nurturer, the proud parent, and even my younger parts that feel abandoned by losing someone so dear to me. But thanks to my own work with I am able to hold space for all of my parts with the compassion and confidence that I will be ok.
This stage of life is hard. Hormones are shifting. Bodies are changing. Priorities are adjusting.
Some of us are sending our babies out of the nest and grappling with the strange mix of pride, freedom, loneliness and a shifting sense of purpose. Others are finding ourselves caring for aging parents—or facing loss. We may be reevaluating careers, friendships or relationships that no longer feel aligned with who we are or who we want to become.
And all of these changes can stir up different parts of us.
The part that has spent years taking care of everyone else.
The part that wonders, Who am I if they don’t need me in the same way anymore?
The people-pleasing part that’s suddenly saying, I’m done.
The achiever who isn’t sure she wants to keep achieving the same things.
The part craving something new—and the part that’s terrified to change anything.
The part quietly asking, What about me?
What if, instead of judging or pushing away these voices, we got curious about what they’re trying to tell us?
Because maybe thriving in midlife isn’t about reinventing ourselves. Maybe it’s about getting to know the parts of ourselves that got us here, appreciating what they’ve done for us, and deciding which ones we want to bring forward—and which ones might be ready for a new role.
That’s what we’ll explore at Learning to Thrive in Midlife, an evening of IFS Parts Work and guided meditation this Thursday, September 10th Rekha Mandel. If you are curious about ways to shift your mindset around midlife or just interested in learning more about IFS join us! Link in bio
