Embodying Your Most Authentic Self
Embodying your most authentic self
Often, we look outward to family, friends, community and culture, and even media to show us who we should be striving to become. But this can create an illusion of a false sense of self. A distorted measuring stick with unrealistic and misaligned expectations. The self we think we should be to garner more love, acceptance, approval, and happiness.
It’s no wonder that reports of depression and anxiety increase. Guilt and shame for being unable to measure up to outer expectations are creating more stress and worry. Leading to inner struggles of intense doubt that can feel challenging to overcome.
Seeking guidance from our outer world can be a distraction from taking steps to embody our most authentic self. The guidance we should be seeking is from within. Listening and honoring our truest essence is a sustainable path to self-love and self-acceptance. A wonderfully supportive and safe dwelling where happiness can take root and expand into joy and bliss.
Our inner guidance sometimes shouts, but usually is as delicate as a whisper. It is often drowned out by the noise of the outer world and sometimes even the noise of our own negative thoughts.
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
~ Carl Jung
Here are my tips for you living an authentic life that is aligned with who you are meant to become:
1. Give yourself the attention you need and deserve.
Carve out time for yourself. Even if it’s only 5-15 minutes a day, find time that is just for you. Take a few minutes at the beginning of the day, middle of the day, and at the end of the day to check in with yourself, noticing your feelings, your energy, and your needs. Is there something you can do, in this moment, to support any of those?
Learn how to tune in to your inner self. Learn how to quiet the outer noise. Practice getting still with meditation and mindfulness to increase your awareness of your present. Take time to reconnect back to yourself.
Spend time in Nature. If you can’t take a longer break to walk or sit, simply step outside, and take several cleansing breaths. With full presence and attention, notice the sounds, smells, textures, feelings of Nature.
2. Discover (or re-discover) who you are at this point in your life; knowing that this might change over time and with new experiences.
Explore your values. Explore your beliefs. Hone in on what is meaningful and important to you. Notice if they are similar or different from your childhood or young adulthood. Begin opening to understanding yourself on a deeper level.
Recognize and respect your strengths. Practice being accepting of your, whole and already complete, self. Soften how you perceive your “weaknesses”, learn more about Shadow so you can better understand the formation of our strengths and our areas of struggle.
Cultivate a practice of loving kindness of self. Get clear and be open to understanding your needs, desires, and dreams. Give yourself permission to be explore your unique viewpoints, and opinions. Be curious about your path, sending your younger self love and compassion for choices made.
3. Begin to reassess any challenging or depleting relationships.
Begin to create healthier boundaries within difficult relationships. Honor your needs in relationships. Recognize where your “responsibility” to the others ends. Practice recognizing what you can control in relationships and releasing responsibility for what is out of your control.
Nurture healthier relationships or begin expanding your social support network (AKA: your tribe). Practice using clear, open, and honest communication. Examine your expectations for yourself and others in relationships; are they reasonable? If not, what needs to be adjusted? Access and build relationships that allow you to feel safe, especially when sharing from a vulnerable or open place.
4. Claim or reclaim your personal power.
Practice trusting yourself, trusting your intuition, trusting your inner voice. Respect the messages you receive from your highest self. Mindfully, give yourself permission to say yes and no. Give yourself permission to change your mind. What would life look like if you walked your own path aligned with integrity and authenticity?
Practice using your voice to speak your truth; not to hurt or shut down other’s self-expression or self-exploration and not to challenge or diminish another person’s personal power, but to give your highest-self free expression.
Stay curious about yourself and your life. What do you want to experience? Why? Where and how do you want to share your time and energy? Explore the activities and experiences that are aligned with your purpose.
Honor all of your needs. Create balance between work and personal life. Examine the areas of your life that are feeling depleted; explore tweaks and changes to increase balance. Let go or release the things that are holding you back from stepping into your fullest expression of your personal power.
5. Elevate and expand your frequency and vibration.
Allow yourself to grieve. Give yourself time to heal. Give yourself permission to forgive yourself for any past mistakes. Recognize that future mistakes might happen, being open to sending yourself love and understanding instead of judging and criticizing.
Give yourself permission to release lower frequency and lower vibration relationships, experiences, beliefs, habits, patterns, and programming. Give yourself permission to return to resonating at a higher frequency and vibration. Open experiencing and embodying acceptance, hope, confidence, kindness, compassion, love, and joy.
Find ways to give back or contribute to your community. Start small. Be open to collaborating with others. Support a meaningful collective vision or cause. Share your gifts and talents. Celebrate others’ contributions to your life and community.
Express gratitude. See the lessons in challenges. Witness your resiliency. Practice tolerating change. Find new ways to cultivate inner peace.
Learn the practice of Ho’oponopono, “I am sorry”, “please forgive me”, “thank you”, “I love you” to yourself and others.
Two of the biggest keys to beginning to embody your most authentic self more fully are to start where you are AND to recognize that your path will look different from others. If you take the time to commit yourself to be curious and open to who you truly are at your core, you will experience so many benefits—mind, body, and spirit.
So, be brave and courageous along your journey! Start today in one small way so that you can begin to improve your self-esteem, increase the quality and your satisfaction in relationships, revitalize your energy and zest for life, maintain your balance by following your passion, and marvel as your overall happiness opens and expands.
Wishing you the bliss of living an authentic life,
Mary
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