Still Expanding: On Possibility, Pressure, and the Need for Space
What if later life wasn’t just about slowing down, but about learning how to carry possibility more lightly?
There’s a particular kind of overwhelm I’ve known for years. Not the pressure of deadlines or demands, but something quieter, the weight of ideas. Of potential. Of noticing what could be done and feeling pulled in a dozen directions at once.
In earlier chapters of my life, it showed up in practical ways. Stacks of re-sellable content I intended to adapt. Articles bookmarked for later. Software tools purchased in a flurry of enthusiasm. Systems started, then paused. Not because they weren’t worthwhile, but because there was never quite enough time or headspace to follow every thread.
Now, in later life, this pattern hasn’t vanished. It’s just changed shape.
Folders still multiply. Creative tools still call to me. There’s a part of me that still sees potential in everything, and sometimes that’s wonderful. But sometimes it’s exhausting.
After the end of a long relationship, I noticed it more clearly. When I was part of a couple, there was a kind of softening. Evenings on the sofa brought a feeling of “enough.” But now, single again, the mental load has crept back in, the doing, the sorting, the sense that I must keep producing, fixing, attending. Even after a joy-filled weekend at a festival, I came home not to rest, but to plan, to organise, to tidy.
And then, quite literally, I banged my head again, the second time in the same spot. I pulled my car tailgate down on my head, and it hurt! A sharp reminder from my body that perhaps I’m carrying too much, although it was partly lack of sleep, and over heated.
So today, I’m trying something different. Today I have:
A swim and sauna to reconnect with my body
A quiet visit to the woods, not to tend or plan, but simply to sit and amble through the sunlight land.
Let unused tools stay unopened, even if they were once full of promise
Tidying not to perfect my space, but to create a little more ease
This isn’t just about clutter or productivity. It’s about how we relate to possibility in later life. One of the quiet truths of ageing is that we don’t always feel done. We’re still growing, still imagining, still expanding, even as our energy, health, or circumstances shift.
And yet, part of ageing well (at least for me) is learning to carry this possibility differently.
That’s one of the central threads of ThriveSpan: we don’t stop becoming in later life. But we can choose which parts to tend, and which to gently lay down.
So, if you’ve ever felt buried under your own ideas, or unsure which threads to follow, maybe this is your reminder:
You don’t need to chase every idea to honour your creativity.
You don’t need to finish every task to prove your worth.
You’re still expanding, even as you rest.
And it’s okay to pause. In fact, it might be essential.
Reflection Prompt: What Wants Space Now?
Where in your life are you feeling full: mentally, emotionally, or physically?
Are there ideas or projects you’re carrying that no longer need to be held so tightly?
What would it feel like to honour your creativity without acting on every impulse?
What might spaciousness look like for you in this season of life?
Let these questions settle. You don’t need answers all at once. Sometimes noticing is enough.