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If you’ve been feeling foggy, stretched thin, or unsure of your next move—this might help.

Stephen Hawking’s theory that the universe is constantly expanding—and will eventually contract—has always fascinated me.
Not because I studied physics (I didn’t). But because I first heard about it… in a Hannibal Lecter novel.

Yep, leave it to a serial killer series to pull me into cosmic thinking.

Hawking’s theory says the universe expands outward thanks to momentum, but over time, gravity begins to pull it all back together. That expansion–contraction cycle hit me hard.

Because honestly? Our emotional lives move the same way.

We stretch toward growth, new ideas, and energy bursts—then get pulled inward by stress, fatigue, or the need to recalibrate.
It’s not failure. It’s physics.
It’s human.

Lately, I’ve been seeing this rhythm through another lens too: the Sensitivity Cycle—a simple but powerful framework that maps our internal process into five phases:

👉 Information → Clarity → Action → Satisfaction → Rest

Layer these two metaphors together, and you’ve got a really insightful way to track your emotional patterns—and know what you need in any given moment.

Let’s explore.

🌠 Expansion = Clarity → Action → Satisfaction

This is your growth phase.
You’re firing on all cylinders—things make sense, you’re taking meaningful steps, and you feel lit up by the process. Emotionally, this is your stretch phase.

But just like stars burn brightest before they fade, even expansion has its limits.
Enter...

🌌 Contraction = Rest → Information

This is where your energy pulls inward.
You feel foggy, fatigued, maybe even off-track. And instead of fighting that dip, what if you saw it as a natural call to pause?

Rest creates the space for new information to rise—about what you value, what you’ve learned, or what’s no longer working.

This contraction isn’t a setback—it’s a setup for your next expansion.

💫 Resilience = Moving With the Cycle

Stress gets sticky when we resist the rhythm.
But when we honor it? That’s when real resilience shows up.

Instead of demanding clarity when your body is asking for rest...
Instead of forcing action when you’re still gathering information...

You start listening.
You start aligning.
You start moving at the pace of your own emotional universe.

So—where are you in the cycle right now?

And more importantly... what would shift if you gave yourself exactly what this moment calls for?

Take a breath.
Feel into it.
The next expansion is coming—no need to rush the cycle.