The Messy Tangle of March

Why returning to old patterns is actually part of the thaw

Hello Wild Ones,

Did you feel it?

There is nothing better than that moment stepping outside and feeling the soft air, and warm sun on your face, after months of bracing against the frigid air.

Even me, a lover of winter, can’t help but feel a spark of hope and lightness in my steps as I start to feel the shift in the air.

What are the early signs of spring that you start to notice?

I have been hearing the constant dripping of snow melting off the roof, watching the snow turn to crystalized ice, and love feeling the soft air on my cheeks. I even had to take my coat off on my hike yesterday!

But, ironically, as I am writing this, I am watching big fluffy snowflakes drift down covering the patches of grass.

And, now, a couple of days have passed since I starting writing this letter, and we are back in winter weather. Layers of ice and snow covering the glimpses of spring just days before.

Is it winter? Is it spring? My mind wants to make sense of it by putting the weather in a seasonal category.

But, that’s the thing with transitions, we are suspended in the middle. The grey zone. The in between.

And, that can be disorienting.

The main of winter behind us, yet the future bloom of spring not quite here. It is hard to have patience in this blend of winter and spring. I want flowers ASAP!

However, it is helpful for me to remember the season of spring is a transition, and that there is a process occurring that we can’t always see.

What happens within the earth as the warming sun thaws its soil?

What dormant seeds start waking up and start its innate growing process?

What rodents and insects start stirring after their long slumber?

What birds have already started their migration back to our land to begin their nesting season?

Change is happening.

We just don’t always see it.

This gradual shift toward spring reminds me of the rhythm of growth I see every day in my sessions.

Often, we feel the relief of breaking an old habit, only to feel discouraged when that old pattern suddenly pops back up. It’s easy to feel like we’re going backward or to doubt that we ever changed at all.

But what if that "back and forth" is actually how growth works?

Just like the weather oscillates between frost and thaw, our nervous system has a similar rhythm when we change.

Returning to the "old way" isn't a failure, but a rest. It’s how your body tests the waters of something new while staying tethered to what feels familiar and safe.

This slow rhythm helps you build the inner strength to take risks without feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed by fear.

It gives you permission to pace yourself. And before you know it, those new patterns take root, and the flowers finally begin to bloom.

Wondering how to stay grounded when the seasons, and your progress, feel unpredictable?

Keep scrolling to read a personal reflection from my journals as I grappled with the transition moving up north, plus somatic tips you can use today to support your nervous system as you grow.

From the woods up north,
Angela

P.S. Just as the earth needs time to thaw, our bodies need a sense of safety to move into a new season. If you’re struggling to find your footing amidst change, somatic therapy can help you reground and find your rhythm again. I’m currently opening up spots for 1:1 somatic sessions.  Let’s help your new growth take root together.

This Month’s Insight:
Real growth looks a lot like March: a messy tangle of winter’s old patterns and spring’s new growth.

Journal Prompts:

1. Where are you currently feeling that "messy tangle" of an old habit and a new way of being? Can you allow both to exist right now without judging yourself?

2. If your growth followed the rhythm of the melting snow, sometimes fast, sometimes frozen, what would it look like to have more patience with your own rhythm today?

Somatic Practice of the Month:

When the "tangle" of old and new feels overwhelming, we can use the foundational somatic practice called pendulation. Just like the weather swings between sun and snow, we can gently shift our attention to help our nervous system find its balance. 

Pendulation teaches your body that it’s safe to soften. You’re proving to your nervous system that the 'spring' of new growth is a place it can actually land and take root.  

How to Practice the "Back-and-Forth":

1. Notice the "Winter" (The Tightness): Find a place in your body that feels a bit "frozen" or tight, like a clenched jaw or a heavy chest. Don't try to change it; just acknowledge it’s there, like a patch of ice on the trail.

2. Find the "Spring" (The Resource): Now, shift your attention away from the tightness. Scan your body for a place that feels "neutral" or even a little bit warm and soft. It might be your big toe, your earlobes, or the weight of your seat in the chair.

3. Gently Pendulate: Slowly move your awareness back and forth. Spend a few seconds with the tightness, then move back to the soft/neutral spot.

4. Pause and Breathe: Do this 3 or 4 times. Notice if the "ice" in your body starts to soften, even just a tiny bit, as it realizes it has a safe place to land.

Winter getting you down?: Look out the window and pendulate between looking at signs of winter and clues of spring, using your five senses!   

Looking back at my journal from a year ago, I can see how I was in the thick of my own "March" as I was adjusting to the recent move to the island.

A year later, as I am settling into my new life and have community taking root, I can see that those moments of panic weren't a sign that I’d made a mistake.

It was just the natural messiness of the transition.

The back-and-forth rhythm was actually the roots of my new life growing in the dark, preparing the flowers that are starting to bloom today. 

Inside Look into my March 2025 Journal Entry:

I keep telling myself: I am in transition. But today, I just feel lost. I’ve said goodbye to the city, to the friendships and familiar comforts, and I’ve stepped into rural living. It feels so new and unknown. 

Just as I'm watching the weather and asking, 'Is it winter or is it spring?' I am also wondering, where do I belong? 'Is it city or is it wild?' The loneliness gnaws at me. It is hard to sink into enjoying the solitude of the wild because fear is taking over.  I’ve lost the thread of why I even moved here. It is hard to find the confidence and the passion that brought me to this island to begin with. The doubts are starting to consume me. Did I make a mistake?

I am tangled and spinning in the space between.

I forget that I am grieving the end of one lifestyle before I can fully embrace the next. 

And it was the desire for a new lifestyle that brought me to this island.  The wild called me to rearrange priorities, deepen my relationship with the elements, and with myself, and to create intentional community. 

I can return to the elements: 

To the flow of water.

To the spark of fire.

To the whispers of air.

To the steadfast earth.

I can trust this process.  I come back to the wild.  I come back to me.  The new life is forming, one step at a time.  

Ways to Work With Me

I know how disorienting the 'messy tangle' can feel. If you're in the mess due to a major transition, trauma, or the stressful demands of life, here is how I can walk with you:

🌀 Somatic Therapy Sessions (Virtual)
These sessions are an invitation to stop "just surviving" and start reclaiming your aliveness. I help you gently unwind the survival patterns, like anxiety, burnout, or numbing, that your body has used to keep you safe. Moving at your own rhythm, we work to quiet the internal alarm and restore your natural capacity for ease, balance, and a deep sense of belonging in your own skin.
→

🌊 Life Transition Support (Virtual or In-Person)
A Doula for Your Transformation

If you are in a major life-altering "March," navigating divorce, a move, a loss, change in identity, etc: this is for you. We go beyond traditional talk therapy to use ritual and soulful somatic tools, honoring the grief of what you’ve left behind while tending to the new life that is trying to take root.
→ Book a Session

🌀 Need a Taste of the Wild?

Stay Tuned for Summer Offerings

I am coming out of hibernation and will be starting to create new ways for us to connect with the wild to further your healing journey. Keep your eyes open!

I have answered the call of the wild. Will you?

Experience nature-immersive retreats and somatic offerings designed to reduce stress, rekindle joy, and bring you back to yourself. Let’s find the program that meets your season of life.