You’re Not Behind—You’re in a Process Unfolding: How Identity Based Wellness Creates Real Change
- Shanae Smith
- Mar 25
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 31
What Wellness Really Looks Like When You’re Deconstructing Your Identity and Rebuilding From Truth
There’s a moment in many people’s personal growth journey—especially for those of us who are self-aware and spiritually inclined—when the usual tools stop working.
You’ve read the books. You’ve started the routines. You’ve cut out the noise. You’ve “done the work.” And yet, something still feels… off. Consistency slips. Habits feel like a battle. You look around and realize that the life you’re trying to build still feels out of reach.
You question whether it’s a discipline issue, a time issue, or a motivation issue. But deep down, you already know: it’s something else.
Why Should You Read This Post? Identity Based Wellness is the Key So You Can ...
Stop confusing transition for failure so you can show up with self-compassion instead of self-doubt
Reconnect with your values so you can make decisions that actually reflect who you're becoming
Understand your current season of life so you can quit comparing your pace to someone else’s
Let your environment influence you less so you can stay consistent even when things around you don’t support it
Shift from performative discipline to grounded devotion so you can create change that actually sticks
You’re Not Lazy—You’re Between Identities
In my experience—and in the lives of many clients I work with—the issue often isn’t laziness or lack of effort. It’s that you’re stuck between identities. You’re no longer the version of yourself you once were, but you haven’t fully anchored into who you’re becoming. That liminal space can be deeply disorienting—not because you’re failing, but because the internal and external structures you used to rely on no longer apply.
Identity based wellness isn't a new concept in the personal development sphere, but it's something that an astrologer simply can not ignore! Often times my clients are trying to jam new habits into their existing life structures. What they're doing is misaligned, perhaps for both who they are as a person, and the point they're at in their lives.
Either way, perhaps:
You’re trying to use an old map to navigate new terrain.
My Health Journey Started with Identity, Not Habits - Letting Go of the Autopilot Life
Over the past few years, I’ve been doing deep identity work through the lens of wellness—especially around food. My focus hasn’t been on rigid meal plans or aesthetic goals. Instead, I’ve asked myself:
What kind of person do I want to be in relationship to my body?
I’ve had a lot of dependencies over the years—soda, nicotine, sugar, caffeine, constant scrolling, television, background noise. One by one, I’ve let them go. I quit smoking cigarettes (five years April 2025!), gave up caffeine completely, and had my fair share of battles with Lindt truffles and Casey’s chocolate cake donuts.
I deleted social media from my phone—effectively cutting it out of my daily life. I stopped watching television, trimmed my YouTube feed to the bare essentials, and started reclaiming my mental space. I’ve swapped processed foods for whole meals, replaced harmful beauty products, and simplified how I nourish myself across the board.
Becoming Isn’t Instant—It’s a Process That Unfolds
This wasn’t an overnight transformation (even though that is what I expected of myself on New Year’s Eve 2019—ha!). It’s been a slow, layered shift—driven not by control, but by a desire to live more intentionally. I didn’t overhaul my habits to prove anything. I changed them because I was tired of living on autopilot.
That’s the thing about identity work: it doesn’t click all at once. You don’t wake up one day fully embodied in your future self. You grow into it—decision by decision, season by season.
Some habits fall away easily. Others take longer. And that’s okay. You’re not failing. You’re unfolding.
Choosing Alignment Over Perfection
I’ve learned to nourish myself from a place of intention rather than impulse—to choose what aligns, not just what’s available. And that one shift has changed everything.
When Jeremy and I got a sous vide machine, it changed our ability to prep nourishing meals without burnout. And while I don’t love that the method involves plastic, it’s helped us stay consistent—especially during low-energy seasons.
Someday, I’d love a more sustainable method (like canning jars). But for now, I choose what’s realistic, not performative. And that is part of getting better at living in alignment.
The Environment Isn’t Always On Your Side—But Your Identity Can Be
Maybe you live in a household that doesn’t fully share your food values. Maybe there are processed snacks, quick convenience meals, and options around you that don’t reflect the way you want to eat—but they’re easy. They’re available.
You could eat them. You’re allowed to eat them.
But when you do, there’s often a disconnect—not necessarily from guilt, but from misalignment. It’s not about judging anyone else’s choices. It’s about whether your choices reflect the identity you’re trying to build.
That’s where the real work happens. Not in the grocery cart or the meal plan—but in the quiet, daily moments where you either remember who you’re becoming… or you forget. And when you forget? The environment tends to win. But when you remember? Your values take the lead. Not perfection. Not performance. Just quiet congruence.
Identity is the Root of Sustainable Health
Most wellness conversations start with behavior: what to eat, how to move, which supplements to take. But if you’re stuck in cycles of trying and backsliding, it’s probably not about knowledge or behavior at all. It’s about identity.
True transformation begins upstream.
When you’re clear on who you’re becoming, the behaviors take care of themselves. You stop acting from guilt or discipline, and start choosing from alignment. The quiet choices—what you eat when no one’s watching, how you care for yourself when the motivation runs out—those are the places where identity shows up.
For many of us, food comes first. It’s where we reclaim agency. It’s where we cast a vote for the version of ourselves we’re committed to becoming—not in public, but privately, consistently, and with care.
How Astrology Helped Me Find My Timing
There were seasons where I kept slipping—back into old habits, self-doubt, or over-efforting. I tried to “fix” myself through force. But the turning point came when I started studying astrology—not as a belief system, but as a framework. A tool for orientation.
Astrology didn’t hand me easy answers or affirmations. It gave me a clear lens to view the unfolding process I was in—emotionally, energetically, even physically. I realized I wasn’t stuck or failing—I was simply out of sync with my own rhythm. I was trying to make long-term moves in a season that was meant for rest, or forcing big decisions during a time better suited for internal integration.
Once you understand where you are in your own personal timeline—through transits and the unique rhythms of your chart—you can stop reacting from panic and start planning from alignment. It’s not just about understanding yourself better on a surface level. It’s about making real decisions that honor your energy, your capacity, and your actual priorities.
That’s the difference between reading about astrology and actually working with it. When you sit with someone who understands how timing, identity, and intention all intersect—you stop spinning your wheels and start seeing traction.
Not every moment in time is ripe for every part of your goal. You might want to go to college—but if you haven’t even finished high school yet, and you haven’t taken your gap year to travel and get clear on why you want to go or what you’ll study when you get there… then of course it’s going to feel out of reach. The problem isn’t the goal—it’s the timing.
That’s what I offer in consultations: clarity, context, and practical application. I don’t just tell you what’s happening—I help you understand what it means for your decisions, your timing, your identity, and your path forward. It’s not about controlling the future—it’s about cooperating with your process.
If You’re in the Messy Middle, Read This:
You’re not broken. You’re not behind. You’re in between identities. And that space? It’s sacred.
It’s uncomfortable because the old patterns don’t fit anymore, and the new ones haven’t fully taken root. But you’re not lost—you’re recalibrating.
The version of you you’re becoming doesn’t need to be perfect. She just needs to be honest. You don’t need to push harder. You need to reconnect with your truth—and let it shape the decisions you make each day.
And if you’re not sure where to begin? That’s exactly where I come in.
🌟 Ready to Reconnect with Your Rhythm Using Astrology?
If you’re ready to make decisions that actually reflect your values, your timing, and your emotional capacity—start here:
Free Mini-Course: Creating Aligned Goals with Astrology is a 5-day experience designed to help you set goals that work with your energy, not against it.
1:1 Astrology Consultations:Want to understand your current phase of becoming? Let’s explore your chart and clarify what’s unfolding now.Book a session here.
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Key Takeaways:
You’re not behind—you’re in a process. You’re in a meaningful phase of becoming, and that space deserves patience and presence.
Your identity is the foundation of lasting change. Sustainable habits grow from knowing who you are—not from chasing who you’re supposed to be.
Environment can influence you, but it doesn’t have to define you. When you stay connected to your values, you make aligned choices—even in imperfect circumstances.
Astrology offers more than insight—it offers orientation. It helps you locate yourself in your timeline so you can make empowered, timely decisions.
You don’t need to push harder—you need to realign. When your actions match your truth and timing, progress becomes inevitable.
Final Thoughts on Wellness from a Strategic, Identity-Oriented Perspective
You don’t have to earn your future self through exhaustion. She already lives within you. This is just the season where you learn to honor her.
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