In this week’s JournalingFix newsletter:

• A quick thank-you
• Why transitions feel so disorienting (brain-wise)
• A 5‑minute writing protocol for “I’m in between and everything feels weird”
• A peek at JournalingFix OS (the full system)

Hey there,

Thank you to everyone who attended workshops this week - and if you're new here, welcome. This list has doubled in the last couple of weeks and I'm really excited you're here.

Every week, this email is where you’ll get:

• The brain science behind why your experience makes sense
• Short, practical protocols you can actually use this week
• Behind‑the‑scenes on what I’m building with JournalingFix OS

Why transitions feel so weird

There’s a specific kind of discomfort that comes with transitions.

You’re out of the old thing, but not fully in the new one.

The old routine doesn’t fit, the new one isn’t solid, and your brain keeps asking, “What are we doing? Are we safe? What matters now?”

A few pieces of what’s happening:

• The brain’s threat‑detection system (including the amygdala) is tuned to notice uncertainty and potential loss, so “in‑between” periods naturally light it up more.
• At the same time, the prefrontal cortex - the part that helps with planning, perspective, and sequencing - has to work harder because there isn’t a clear map yet.
• When there’s no stable story about “who am I now, what am I doing, what’s next,” the brain often fills the gap with overthinking and worst‑case simulations.

That’s why even positive change (new role, bigger opportunity, leaving something that wasn’t working) can feel wobbly.

Your system is trying to protect you in a space where the rules haven’t settled.

This is also why transitions are an important place to have actionable tools - something your brain can actually do to create a clearer signal in the middle of uncertainty.

A 5‑minute protocol for the “in-between”

Here's a short writing protocol for when you're in a transition and your brain needs data points - a way to map what's ending, what's beginning, and how to move forward even before everything is clear.

Step 1: Name the change (1 minute)

Finish these lines with the first thoughts that come to mind:

• "What's ending (or has ended) for me right now is…"
• "What's beginning (or trying to begin) is…"

If the second line makes you pause - that's okay, and honestly that's exactly what this protocol is for. Even the smallest sense of what you want next counts.

Write possibilities, guesses, even "I don't know yet, but maybe…" Your brain doesn't need the full picture to start building one. It just needs something to work with.

The goal is to give your brain a clearer label than “everything is a lot.”

Step 2: Surface the real fears (1-2 minutes)

​
Write: “What my brain is worried about in this in‑between is…” and list as many specifics as you can.

You’re doing two things here: affect labeling (putting feelings into words, which research shows can dampen amygdala reactivity and bring more prefrontal online) and cognitive offloading (moving things out of working memory onto the page).

​
​Step 3: Anchor who you're becoming (1 minute)

Write: "The version of me this transition is asking for is someone who…" and list 3–5 qualities or behaviors.

Keep it concrete and specific - not "more confident" but what that actually looks like in real life.

Things like: "takes one small action before overthinking it," "gives themself permission to not have all the answers yet," "reaches out instead of going quiet," "makes one decision per day instead of spinning on all of them," "lets the process be messy without treating it as failure."

You're giving your brain a target pattern to move toward - not a finished identity, just a direction.

​
​Step 4: Choose one small move (1 minute)

Write: "One small thing I can do right now that is consistent with that version of me is…"

Make it tiny and doable right now.

It might be: sit with the uncertainty for ten minutes without trying to fix it. Tell one person what you're going through. Write down one option you haven't let yourself consider yet. Do one thing that future-you would do, even if present-you isn't sure yet.

The job here is to give your system one immediate action that's in line with where you're headed - however unclear that is - because that's how a new direction starts to feel real.

How this fits into JournalingFix OS

One of the big themes that's come up in workshops is dealing with change and transition and figuring out "what's next." That's why I've included it as its own topic in JournalingFix OS.

JournalingFix OS is the full internal operating system I've been building out and it launches this month.

It's designed for high performers who want something they can run in real life, no matter what kind of day they're having.

It's built around the most common patterns that slow high performers down in the middle of real life:

• The slow and stuck moments that eat your day - the resistance, the loops, the tasks you can't seem to start or finish - finally having a way to move through them instead of around them
• The moments when more opportunity, visibility, or success triggers self-protection or hiding instead of expansion
• The nights that don't close - Sunday dread, 2am spirals, waking up already carrying yesterday
• The identity lag - knowing exactly who you're trying to become, but feeling like that version of you is always just slightly out of reach

It's what stops the cycle of pushing hard, stalling out, and starting over - and replaces it with something that finally closes the gap between the version of you that shows up on a good day and the one who shows up every day.

More on that soon - including how the Founding Member round works and what's inside.

For now, if you try the protocol, I'd love if you have a chance to hit reply and tell me what parts worked for you.

-- Áine

PS… If you're part of a team or community and thought "we could use this at work" - I bring this into companies and events as keynotes and workshops. Sessions are built around science-backed micro-writing protocols that help high-pressure teams reset cognitive overload, restore focus, and make better decisions - in minutes. Hit reply and tell me a little about your team or event - happy to see if it's a fit!

​
​
​