Molting.

"The most familiar example of molting in reptiles is when snakes "shed their skin". This is usually achieved by the snake rubbing its head against a hard object, such as a rock (or between two rocks) or piece of wood, causing the already stretched skin to split. At this point, the snake continues to rub its skin on objects, causing the end nearest the head to peel back on itself, until the snake is able to crawl out of its skin, effectively turning the molted skin inside-out. This is similar to how one might remove a sock from one's foot by grabbing the open end and pulling it over itself. 
Snakes shed their skin to allow for growth, as well as to remove parasites along with their old skin.

Snakes shed their skin rather frequently. Many snakes shed more than once per year with some species shedding on a bi-monthly basis. Snakes shed when they grow too big for their skin, comparable to the way humans outgrow clothing. Humans shed skin cells too. However, instead of losing skin cells as one continuous and noticeable piece, humans lose numerous, tiny skin cells each day. No one really notices this shedding, as human skin cells are small enough to escape observation."

I feel like this year is a year for me to molt. Very similar to the way snakes begin the molting process, on more than one occasion, I've been rubbed by hard, often rough, situations. The reason I've been uncomfortable, sometimes even miserable, is because I'm outgrowing the skin that I'm in. I'm ready to leave old skin behind and grow into a new one. I'm trying something new. I want to try to view life in this way. It's strange how nature teaches us things. All we have to do is pay attention.