Reflections on Time, Growth and Systems in 2025
As we get close to a quarter of the way through 2025! I find myself reflecting on time, how it moves, how we experience it, and how our perception of it changes throughout life. Being a father to young children brings this into sharp focus. I think back to my own childhood and how I once viewed the world. Time seemed infinite, weeks felt like months, and I had little awareness of what was happening beyond my small country town, let alone across Australia or the rest of the world. Now, as an adult in mid-March, the speed at which life moves can feel overwhelming.
This could be a great opportunity to speak with an elder, to gain insight into their memories of time, the world, and how things have changed. Such conversations can remind us of the cyclical nature of human experience and the ways our personal and collective systems evolve, or fail to evolve over time. It may also highlight how deeply connected we are to the present moment, living right here, right now and what part does time play in/with our memories and personal and collective experiences.
Lately, I’ve been deeply engaged with Bill Plotkin’s Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World and his framework of eight stages of human development. Through his lens, I see how individuals, organisations, communities, and even political systems often remain in an adolescent stage, grasping for identity, power, and validation rather than maturing into deeper, wiser states of being. Writing this, I notice a shift in my emotions from an initial sense of inspiration to a more sunken state of where we find ourselves in 2025.
Now I ask, do I allow these sunken feelings to consume me, leading us down paths of avoidance, self-medication, or self-destruction? I’ve been there before, seeking quick fixes, whether through substances, distractions, or creating situations that temporarily ease the discomfort. But I’ve also learned that these strategies ultimately lead back to the same emotional burdened place, often with greater intensity.
This is where the challenge lies: What do we do with these emotions?
I like to take inspiration from incredible humans around me, Jane Kennedy, an exceptional therapist in Inner West Sydney and co-founder of The Religious Trauma Collective, shares a free weekly email, How to Be OK. A recent piece on craving community and connection particularly resonated with me. Similarly, Alexis Postans, founder of Total Life Wellbeing Consultants, has launched a great new podcast, Burning Passion: Understanding the Deeper Layers of Burnout (And Actionable Tips to Overcome It), which explores vital themes around self care, collective care and resilience.
Systems for Understanding, Recovery and Improvement
Understanding these emotional and behavioural patterns through different psychological frameworks can be instrumental in shifting our responses:
- Bowen’s Family Systems Theory highlights how we are deeply interconnected with our families of origin, often unconsciously repeating relational patterns learned in childhood. Recognising these patterns empowers us to change them and respond with greater wisdom to emotions and situations that can activate our nervous systems.
- Systems Theory expands this perspective beyond the family, illustrating how we exist within multiple, interdependent systems; our communities, workplaces, social structures and global networks. Seeing our struggles in this broader context helps us move away from self-blame and instead recognise the systemic forces at play, enabling us to engage in change with clarity and intention.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) brings the focus back to the self, acknowledging that we each contain multiple parts; Wounded child parts (exiles), Protective parts (managers and firefighters) and our Core Self-energy. Through IFS, we learn to approach our pain and frustration with curiosity and compassion. Instead of rejecting discomfort, we can ask: What is this part trying to protect me from? What does it need to feel safe? By attending to our inner dynamics, we can make choices aligned with our values rather than reacting impulsively.
Moving Forward with Intention
As I sit here with my emotions that come, I remind myself of the strategies I’ve developed and the importance of maintaining supportive communities around me, honouring my emotions without spiraling, redirecting my energy toward meaningful actions and seeking connection instead of isolation. These practices don’t erase discomfort, but they create space for growth, resilience, and deeper engagement with life.
As we move through this year, I encourage you to reflect on your own patterns and systems. What childhood beliefs about time, relationships, or self-worth still shape your present? How do the broader systems around you influence your wellbeing? And what new strategies can you cultivate to move forward with greater awareness and purpose?
Engaging in this work, both individually and collectively is not easy. But it is necessary. And, ultimately, it is what allows us to truly grow.
Connecting Mental Health is here to support you and all of Australia on this journey. Browse our network of holistic mental health practitioners to access the lasting support we all need.
Contact us if you have any questions or feedback.
