Identity Shifts

Our sense of identity is created through our sense of belonging to certain groups, classifications, or relationships, such as daughter, uncle, athlete, straight-A student, vegetarian, lawyer, or tea enthusiast. Navigating our approach to life after gaining or losing an important new facet of identity can be daunting or unsettling; when we suddenly lose a key relationship or membership we’ve relied on to identify ourselves, we can even experience an identity crisis. Death of a family member, job loss, divorce, and life-altering injuries are all common major events that challenge the very core of how we define ourselves. At the same time, discovering a new way of defining ourselves through a new label, relationship, or life transition can give us an exhilarating sense of liberation and empowerment. Seeing our identity as a dynamic—not static—feature of ourselves can help leave us open to the constant changes and opportunities our life has to offer.