Here’s to an invitation to take a break!

These last two months I’ve been coming to moments where I want to interrupt the usual routine in my life. On two separate occasions, I’ve been feeling encouraged to take a break.  During these breaks, I have experienced some interesting shifts and I want to reflect on them here. In writing and sharing this blog, my intention is to connect with those whom this post resonates with.  Further, this is my attempt to act as an ally during your soul’s journey.

I believe many of us have experienced a moment where we felt we wanted to take a break.  That moment may have been followed by the fear that if we take a break others things in our lives will fall through the cracks and we won’t be able to recover (fast enough).  We fear the disruption that such a change may potentially cause. The truth is, we won’t ever really know the results of any of our choices until we make the choice. If only we can make our choices, keeping faith in the forefront, we can take the leap of faith, and trust that all that is meant to be will be.  

MY EXPERIENCE

Have you ever felt like your life is moving faster than you are? Like so much is happening and it’s as if life is moving ahead of you, without you?! I don’t even know how that’s possible, but that’s how I felt at the end of February, heading into March.

Here’s a bit of background information.  I am all for the journey of evolving and investing in myself. With that intention set, I committed to being part of a spiritual community.  After about a month into it, I started to feel like it was too much! I begin to feel as if too many people had their hands in my life. It wasn’t just the community, it was the community in addition to friends and family around me. I felt like I was pulled in so many directions. There were both solicited and unsolicited opinions coming in from different angles. Too many viewpoints about my life, that did not necessarily resonate with how I approach life.  Plus, there was me sharing my life when I didn’t really want to— all because I committed previously.

One of my biggest challenges in life is accepting our culture’s desire to categorize and label EVERYTHING.  As much as I tried to roll with the punches, categorizing, labeling, deciding what’s right and wrong, and the similar continued to annoy me. Thankfully, I believe I am finally at a place where I am OVER the labeling and categorizing and accepting that though it may be a cultural norm, I choose not to partake. This acceptance officially happened as a result of leaving the community, unplugging from my routine in life, and putting it into practice.

My truth is that I love words … they can be really beneficial, but sometimes not even words can express an experience. YET— I often felt like I was allowing myself to feel pressured to explain things that didn’t need an explanation or sharing. Or to go a bit further, to have an opinion or reaction about things that didn’t stimulate me.  I believe that some things are for you… to help you discover and then share, or whatever (your soul knows), when you’re ready. Additionally, not everything requires YOUR opinion or reaction.

With the feeling of pressure around me, seeming to attempt to box me into things, it eventually got to the point where all I wanted was some space.  I wanted to pull my energy back, protect my sacred space, and reconnect with my truth. I wanted to Own My Life and I wanted to check in with myself about what that meant (in this season). I didn’t want others telling me what was going on with me, my body was already making it clear.

As I shared above, I was feeling imbalanced and this truth was confirmed when I started to experience stomach pains. In my experience, I endure stomach pains when I am experiencing some form of stress. In this case, it appeared to be a manifestation of not honoring and acting from my truth. The pain lasted almost a month and then as I started to accept my truth by speaking up, acknowledging how I felt, and making decisions in alignment with my truth, the pain left.

This is why I have declared myself the Ambassador of Shamelessly Embracing & Living Your Truth.  I have experienced the benefits and drawbacks of not honoring my truth.  

Your best life is created by you (and God) for you, and there is no one size fits all.  Each of us, by living our own truth, can influence this world in a harmonious and loving way.  Though I love the idea of sharing our lives and using resources, I also support the idea of building a solid foundation within.  It has been a journey learning to trust myself. Learning to be unapologetic about my truth. And accepting that I don’t see the world the way others do and that doesn’t make me any less or better than them.

 

Side Note: From my own experience and witnessing others’, a manifestation of what’s going on within can show up physically in multiple ways. For some, you may feel pain in your chest or constant discomfort in your throat. Or maybe you get back pains.  Our bodies are constantly speaking to us, but many of us haven’t begun to practice connecting with how it communicates. Instead, we decide to just go with logic and believe that med.com or some other website, has all the answers. I want to invite you to practice trusting the knowing within. Your body communicates too… please take the time to listen to it.

The break following my exit from the spiritual community was later followed by me deciding to take things a bit further.

MY CURRENT STATUS

Currently, I am in the midst of break number two.  At this time, my break includes being logged out of my social media accounts and screening all calls, text messages, and emails. In addition, I am going to bed at a consistent time, which allows me to also wake up at a regular time each day while feeling well rested. It’s been about three weeks since this second break started and I can honestly say, I notice a welcomed difference.

Here are five things I have noticed:

1. I have the energy for the things I enjoy doing and I do it without distractions.
2. My business relationships aren’t feeling like a burden and I am handling situations with more patience and a solution-focused approach.
3. More of my gifts and interest are coming to the surface. It’s like I unlock more of the light within.
4. I am becoming aware, earlier in the moment, when my emotions shift in a conversation or situation.  Therefore, I feel more in tune with my body and mind.
5. I am witnessing more miracles through a shift in perspective.

Generally, I feel as if I have more space. More space to connect with my body and mind, do more of what really feel aligned for me, and spend my time and energy on what supports my well being. To top off all the greatness I am experiencing, I recently started reading Radical Wholeness by Philip Sheppard, which a friend of mine recommended to me. The book focuses on connecting with all that is, in order to experience the Present fully. I am easily excited by life and so to have this book come into my life at a time where I am intentionally unplugging, is extra exciting.  I look forward to sharing more about the experience and implementation of what I gain from my reading.

MY TAKEAWAY

I don’t think I had ever experienced feeling as if my life wasn’t mine. I literally felt as if I was trying to catch up with myself.  I felt like I was vulnerable in all areas of my life and it became overwhelming. It was as if there were no doors, no temporary moments of experiencing my own little bubble, no privacy, and very little authentic moments. I don’t think I want walls up (maybe that’s too permanent), but doors or fences would definitely serve me on this journey.  

It’s great to have support on this journey and to share your experience, but not everything is for everyone. If you decide to work with or confide in a coach, therapist, friend, or even a family member, it is okay and may even be necessary, to be intentional about creating boundaries. I had never been part of a spiritual community in that way… and to be honest, I may not do it again. I am more than grateful that I had that experience, but as someone who experiences a lot of her lessons through relationships, that was a LOUD wake-up call!

When I listen to what my needs are and give myself space to simply Be, I find that it’s effortless to be in the flow of life. I’m not defining everything I experience and I’m not aiming to be politically correct; I am experiencing the moment and responding to it. When I do more of this it seems that the light within expresses more outward. It’s all a constant practice.

The journey of evolving and becoming; becoming an authentic and unapologetic version of You… is full of constant change. You’ll have moments where you say yes and then a day or even an hour later realize that it’s a “no.” The question for you then becomes, will you have the courage and the strength to speak your truth? Will you give yourself permission to express the change of intention without solely being concerned about what others will think or feel?

It can be a challenge. But what I am rediscovering and accepting in this season is that it may be part of your journey. Will you honor your truth, or solely seek the approval of others?

The choice is yours.

I leave you with this – Ask yourself: What does it mean to OWN YOUR LIFE? Do you feel as if you are owning your life?  And is there any way for you to up the ante?

 

I Love You.