Shifting out of Freeze
What Self Practices Are You Doing Today?
Self Practice Supports Us
What Self Practices Are You Doing Today?
“I am who also”
Self Practice Supports Us
“I am who also”
Many of us maintain a useless and draining internal debate, “Am I a superhero or am I a failure?”
There is always evidence for each!
I invite you to complete this phrase:
“I am a (positive adjective) (role or identity) who also struggles with (one of your key struggles.)”
For me: “I am a gifted teacher who also struggles with shame and terror.”
Repeat your phrase out loud. Feel the truth of this throughout your body and your energy.
There is plenty of space for our superpowers and our struggles and limitations. We are amazing and human.
Let Go of Crisis Energy – It’s OK
A (friendly) challenge! 🤩🥰 – and Gabor Mate
I hope that you are having a safe and awesome summer, filled with pleasant blessings and surprises.
There is a lot that I want to be able to teach you about fear, hope, vitality, overwhelm and the human nervous system.
Some of what I want to teach you, I know really well inside myself.
But what I don’t necessarily know are:
– how to put words around what I know that will enable you to also know it
– how many different things can get in the way of you even understanding what I am talking about
And some of what I want to teach you, I only have glimmers of. There are things I am just beginning to learn inside myself, and I can tell there’s much more. To use a martial arts analogy, I know that I know a lot of stuff, but I don’t know whether I am a first degree black belt or a yellow belt! I know that I know a lot and I know that there is a lot more to know that I can’t even envision yet.
Plan, Start, Keep Going!
Plan, Start, Keep Going!
Clarify and set your most important intention(s).
(For example, to love and forgive myself)
Make a specific and simple plan to support your intention.
(Five to ten times per day for a week, I will put my hand on my heart, breathe, soften, drop my shoulders and say, “I love me and I forgive myself”)
Make a backup plan for when something goes wrong.
(I will put reminders in my calendar and put up sticky notes.)
Start following your plan.
When you inevitably find yourself off the track:
Do not:
- Analyze how you got here
- Criticize or judge yourself
- Assume or declare that you have failed
Do:
- Remember your intention and why it was important to you
- Return to the plan and/or
- Go to the back up plan
- Keep going
The temptation to analyze or judge is an insidious distraction.
You can analyze after the time period has ended.
Even Good Change is Hard
When you change yourself, even in a good way, I need to adjust me and find a new balance for how to feel and be in our relationship.
And because of my trauma, that’s hard for me.
I apologize now for snapping at you during that process (past and future).
Relax, Breathe, Everything is OK
Relax, Breathe, Everything is OK
(even though some things really aren’t)
Feeling lost, confused, depressed or discouraged is not a sign of failure or back-sliding, regardless of how long it has been there or how quickly it popped up.
Feel your body and your breath.
Know that the Earth – and Love – are holding you.
Allow yourself to feel comfort from your own touch.
Gently tell yourself that both your pain and your joy are welcome.
Do your essential tasks and do your practices, while listening to your body with curiosity.
Relax, Breathe, Everything is OK
Relax, Breathe, Everything is OK
(even though some things really aren’t)
We are better equipped to deal with all of the things that are not ok when we can rest into the deeper place where everything is ok.
We hold both:
There are things that need
very real attention
~and~
Everything is OK.
Breathe.