Liminal Space
I’ve been on a pretty deep psychological/jungian-type journey the last few years. A lot of shadow work around growing up in patriarchal systems both family and work, dealing with a critical mother/aunt wound, scarcity mindset, and learning to put healthy boundaries.
I immigrated to the US from a very poor country, built a successful career, and stayed at the same corporate company for 20 years. Financially, it was great, and parts of it were rewarding, but I became completely burned out by the system, the politics, and feeling like I had stopped growing. I eventually left.
Since leaving, I’ve spent a lot of time healing, setting boundaries, taking care of an ill parent, focusing on my kids, exercising, running, and trying very intentionally not to pass generational trauma down to my children. Just being myself without an expectation of what is coming next.
Now I’m at this strange crossroads.
I’ve been interviewing, but nothing is really landing. I technically could go back to my old job, but honestly it feels like my soul would die if I did. At the same time, being out of work this year is starting to affect me mentally because work gave me structure, stability, momentum and financial.
Financially, I’m okay for another year, and the initial panic has worn off. But psychologically, I feel stuck in this liminal space where the old version of me is gone, but the new version hasn’t fully formed yet.
Part of me wonders if this is just a normal transition after burnout and deep inner work.
Has anyone else gone through this kind of “in between” phase after leaving a long-term career?
My dreams are telling me to find structure, and owning my own authority. I need some advice from others who’ve gone thru similar and what has come out of it for you.