Word of the Week: Reclaim

Life Lesson:

I’ve been feeling very disempowered lately, suffocating from all of the opinions and expectations around me. Do this, don’t do that. Say this, don’t say that. Buy this, don’t buy that. Sell this, don’t sell that.

Unsolicited advice has been flying at me from all directions. I couldn’t seem to escape it. I got anxious then angry then sad then disappointed then anxious again then overwhelmed and then I completely shut down.

I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Not my family. Not my friends. Not my audience. And definitely not strangers on the internet.

I needed some serious alone time to process everything that was happening. To hear myself think. Come up with my own opinions. Tap into what I needed. Not what other people needed from me or what other people thought I needed.

We are quick to assume we know what’s best for everyone. Thinking we need to check on others. We need to send someone a news article. We need to launch a new course in this time of crisis. We need to slash our prices. We need to swoop in and save everyone.

But when’s the last time you asked yourself: What do I need?

We can all support each other better when we actually know what someone needs. When we’ve asked what someone need. When we know our own needs and can communicate them.

Once I emerged from my dark hole, I had a much clearer idea about what I needed. Here are some of the steps I took:

• I established a no Coronavirus-talking policy with family and friends
• I asked to be taken off of list-serves or unsubscribed from newsletters that gave me anxiety
• I asked my parents to stop sending me COVID-19-related news articles
• I seriously cut down my time on social media
• I asked Andrew for extra hugs
• I leaned more heavily on my team for support
• I decided I wasn’t going to respond to texts or calls I didn’t have the energy for
• I stopped pressuring myself to be creative when I wasn’t feeling it
• I slept a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Like, 10-11 hours per night for a week straight.
• I signed up for a course on regulating my nervous system
• I committed to daily breathwork

A lesson I keep learning is we are not here to rescue other people. Other people don’t need to be rescued. We are here to rescue ourselves and, in by doing so, we can show others how to do the same.

That’s what radical self-love is all about. Knowing the difference between rescuing vs. empowering. Knowing your triggers and shadows. Knowing your needs and how to communicate those. Knowing your limitations and boundaries. Knowing your desires. It all starts with you. That’s how we take our power back. When we stop looking outside ourselves for answers and start trusting our own inner authority.

If you would love support around reclaiming your power, join me for my new (online) workshop:

We will be going DEEP. But also keeping things LIGHT. Think: meditation, journaling, research, creative expression, somatic exercises, and dancing. Plus community. We could all use a little more community right now. Nothing is more inspiring than when a group of women comes together to stand in their power. I hope you’ll be a part of the magic!

 

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT FOR SELF-LOVE 2.0

 

Ask Yourself: What do you need right now? Space? Sleep? Hugs? Social media detox? Business support? Call with your bff? Play? A walk?

Weekly Mantra: I know how to take care of myself.

 

 

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