Today a friend of mine told me about the anthropological concept of a “liminal space“. A liminal space is a transitional or initial stage between two positions, states or boundaries. Examples of these include the time between finishing school and starting university, waiting to board a plane at the airport or being between jobs.
In this phase, a person is caught between their old habits/rituals/traditions and the new ones. The way they structure their lives hangs in the balance, waiting for a new order to take place.
Another way to look at would be that a person has moved away from their old personal institutions but has yet to develop new ones.
Navigating the liminal space
I’m undergoing a liminal stage at the moment. I’m about to finish my student life and properly begin my professional one. I’m also suddenly taking on far more responsibility in my personal life. And finally, there are big shifts happening with my friends and family.
Navigating this space is difficult, and I’m still not entirely sure how to do it. Part of the solution is to build temporary habits to tide myself over while maintaining old ones that keep a level of consistency in my life.
It’s an odd space to be in, and the lack of structure makes effective work difficult. It sometimes feels like I don’t know which way is up. But I know I’ll find my new normal soon. Either that’s or I’ll continue floating on through my liminal space 🙂
Image was taken at Cape Town international airport sometime last year.
Thesis update: got some writing done 🙂
Blog 74/365.
Yes a transitional, limnal time is tough – but necessary to grow. In a way we need to “mind the gap” like In the London Underground, it is quite an exciting time of what next, lots of decisions and trepidation. All the best for this unsettling time.