REFLECTION & PROJECTION IN YOUR ESSENCE
Your Essence - I have been defining and living my own for years now. In doing so I have been diving deep into my feelings, understanding truly who I am, learning about my reactions, my joys and what brings me a sense of calm. I’ve learnt over the years to divide my life up into sections, to focus on one distinct area, working solely on developing that skill, implementing it into my life and then I watch and observe how I grow from it. This is an ongoing cycle. It involves learning many life lessons and being open to always expanding and growing.
Within the last month, I have made a conscious effort to support my body and my mind as I have been spending countless hours working and often neglecting my own wellbeing to facilitate others. I have started engaging in yoga again for strength, movement, stretching and obtaining quietness of the mind. When I have time, my favourite thing to do following yoga is to journal. During these moments I am still in a meditative state, I am calm, my body and brain is feeling alert yet at peace. When journalling I can dive a little deeper into what is going on in both my mind and my body. I can reflect on how I have progressed and set goals for my future self.
I have done a lot of work lately on establishing boundaries socially. Friendships change over time, often we outgrow certain relationships and it's important to reflect on those in order to remain true to your essence. I do so by taking note of how I feel around certain people - if they bring a sense of calm and joy to my life, or if they in fact take peace and joy away. I have recently been reading a book called “Don’t Let Anything Dull your Sparkle“ By Doreen Virtue. Doreen Virtue writes about the stress and trauma response around those that seek and cause drama and how it can greatly impact your life. I began to reflect on my own life. I always had something going on, some story, event or drama - that was in my life. I became aware of certain individuals in my life often contributing to or causing that drama and how much I had taken that on.
When I dive a little deeper, I realised that I often filled my life with unnecessary things in order to be busier, I honestly was compensating for the unhappiness I was feeling, a way for me to feel validated from something external rather than taking the time to heal and understand myself. I look at my life and I see that there was something always going on, some story or drama that would consume my mind, a way to distract myself to what was truly going on internally and to not truly stop and listen to what I actually needed to heal and move forward from.
This was still happening despite all the personal work I was doing to support and develop my growth, physically through exercise, internally with good nutrition and mentally with a greater focus on emotional regulation. What I didn’t change and notice at the time though, was all the additional stories and events that consumed me.
This is when I truly began to focus on the people I spend my time with and how I was feeling when I was around them. I would spend time on the phone talking to friends that would share their lives with me and after a while I would notice what I was feeling. In those moments, when it was really noticeable for me, I was left feeling depleted, my joy and my mood would shift when talking to them. At times while they were talking I would shut down and just couldn’t and wouldn’t share anything in return. I do want to point out that this more often than not had nothing to do with the people I was talking to, it had everything to do with me. I personally was already exhausted and by not looking after myself or adhering to clear boundaries, I was letting their events and feelings pass through me, often taking on the emotions as well.
I think the more intentional I am with my conversations, the better my own wellbeing becomes. If I am going out socially, I check in and make sure I have had enough down time to reset and to show up intentionally. I have slowly eliminated the noise around me. I have slowed down my weekends. As well as my afternoons following work. All these things have quieted my space, my mind, and I am more aware of how I feel. I find comfort in silence now. I don’t try to distract my mind from it with unnecessary drama.
In doing all of this, I am happier, I enjoy the time I have with my family and friends, I have more energy, I rest more instead of pushing past my tiredness and fatigue levels. I am getting my spark back each day. It is not being lost after a week of work or events. I have more creative moments. I am having fun and enjoying down time. I am still clear with my boundaries and what I want. I am progressing. I am continuing to learn how to show up for myself. My essence is still cultivating and will continue to do so.
So, are you ready to take time for yourself and honour what makes you unique and happy?
Over the last 12 months I have grown a lot personally. I am being more conscious of my decisions, who I spend my time with and how I show up. I am now showing up for myself and doing what truly makes me happy.
I’d like to share these lessons with you… and I’m so excited to explore the next chapter of my Essence workbooks with you… Your Essence is all about finding peace and passion within.
It’s about reflection, knowing how to best love and care for yourself - in order to show up as the best version of you for those you love.
Our launch is just around the corner… Keep an eye out! It’s time to take a moment for yourself… for YOUR ESSENCE.
In the mean time, don’t forget to check out the Social Essence workbook below!
