A Simple Approach to Beating the Blues and Standing In Your Highest Power
I’ve been a little up and down emotionally these past couple months. Actually, this whole year. It’s been a crazy year and I’ve been pushing the edges in my life and work -- a lot. Can you relate?
Many of my friends have been experiencing an extremely challenging year, which has just started to let up a bit in recent weeks. And this kind of emotional experience is typical of many artists and Highly Sensitive People. Because we feel so strongly, we’re able to reach depths that allow us to penetrate the veils of the human condition. But it can also become a liability. When these kind of emotions start to spin out of control, it can be incredibly difficult to stay on top of your work.
A couple days back I was left to fend for myself in Albania when my sweetie took off for another adventure. Granted I’m in a beautiful place by the sea in my air-conditioned flat, with the most delicious food EVER just down the street... AND the way I live can be insanely challenging. With so many unknowns in my present and future, it can easily start to feel like the ground is slipping away when yet one more challenge rears it's gorgeous face. So I have to do what it takes to step it up and stay on top of my game.
And for me -- stepping up my game means:
Working harder to show up FIERCE and do the work, step into my Soul Power, and be real with where I'm at. So that's what I done and wrote out my core approach in three steps, plus a few more for good measure below. I hope this helps! Try it out and let me know how it goes.*
#1: Wake up your SOUL POWER. This one trumps them all. If you can just do this, you should be fine and well on your way out of just about any ditch. Sometimes it's hard to access this place when you're feeling down. In those cases you have to sort of trick your emotions by psyching yourself up, and powering into your true essence/reason for living. Think about the people you love, the sh*t that really matters, the Soul Work you signed up for, and let that awaken some core place of power inside you. Most of my work is centered around this, including my New 30-Day Program. See also: Discovering the Soul-Fire Code. (This is the core of the core, the rest is pretty much icing on the cake!)
#2: SHOW UP and share your Truth. Do the work. Send the email. Write the post. Keep moving forward in your creative pursuits, because the lack of action can drag you down more than anything else. Pursuing the path of your Soul WILL lead you to the life of your highest vision. Sometimes you just need to keep swinging. When you really commit to your Soul Path and continue showing up every day, it has a way of propelling you forward on its own. And when your creative energy is blocked, it can wreak havoc on your sense of well-being. You need a release! Just let it out, and let it do its thing. Or if you're really burned out, try the opposite approach and intentionally commit to doing nothing for a short length of time.)
#3: Be 100% REAL with where you’re at, and work with your energy. It’s not about pushing the emotions away, so much as seeing what’s really going on, and allowing these to shift with Presence and Compassion -- pour love and light on in as big a dose as you can muster. Send light into the dark places, and do you best to keep your energy clear and bright. Staying centered with a daily sacred practice and invoking your highest power can do wonders for your creative process and your psyche. (Do a breathwork meditation session or other mindful meditation practice, try a daily invocation practice, learn how to connect with universal energy flow through the elements.
This is really my core approach. Here are a few more suggestions that might help:**
Feed your JOY. This is just logical, and it works. Find something to make you laugh and ease up a little, to drop into your sense of humor. Even if you’re going through a rough patch, it doesn’t have to be so serious all the time! (Examples: Get out for a run or walk in nature, watch a funny show, watch an inspiring TED talk, read a funny book, work on your getaway/escape plan, practice EXTREME GRATITUDE).
Open your heart and be GENEROUS with yourself. Give love freely, share your time and energy with others, and allow yourself to receive love too! Really opening your heart and soul can feel super vulnerable and challenging, but have you tried this lately— for real? It’s a wonderful release valve, and works QUICK to shift the energy. For more on this: The Lost Art of Encouragement. Start with your HEART.
Connect DEEPER with friends you love and respect. Share your truth and ask for some support and accountability from people who actually get you. Sometimes this is best one-to-one (phone call, chat, etc.) and sometimes you need a group of people rooting for you. If you're really feeling sh*t, you need to step up and make a real ask, like-- "Hey, I’m feeling crap right now, can you give me some feedback...? Feels like I’m barely treading water, can you throw me a line here?" The more you allow yourself to be real and go with this, the more you open yourself up to opportunities for magic and heart-warming connection.
Don't settle for Bullsh*t! People who suck, work that drains you, situations that hurt -- we all deal with them. But that doesn't mean we have to let them rule our lives. it's up to you to decide who and what you will allow into your life, and put up the necessary physical and energetic boundaries. Draw those lines and stand by your boundaries. You are a Warrior of LIGHT.
Try any of these approaches if you’re feeling the blues, they really work if you let them. But you already know all this -- so get to it!!
And if you’re craving a booster shot for your happiness, creative fire, and SOUL FLOW, I’d love for you to come and share 30 Days of Fun & Flow For Your Creative Soul with me, starting Monday NOW! :)
Know that I truly care, I get it, and you are not alone!
Love,
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30 DAYS of FUN & FLOW FOR YOUR CREATIVE SOUL
It's time to let your wild child out for some fun! In this month-long guided journey we’re exploring the magic of aligning with Fierce Presence, Creative Flow and Soul Fire in our lives, and bringing it all out to play.
Let's have a magical month and celebrate the endless possibility of the Creative Spirit: Growth, Renewal, Transformation and entering the Fall with a stronger, HAPPIER step! Come and join me on this virtual journey -- I’ll be leading it from here in fabulous Albania!
You'll get instant access to my Fierce Presence Daily Practice Guide & Invocation Flowsheets when you join, and a gift bag after the journey to help keep your soul fire burning bright, including a copy of my forthcoming book: FIERCE FLOW.
Flexible pricing: Learn more and sign up here
[/box] *Please note: I am not a doctor or licensed medical professional, and my words should not be taken as medical or personal health advice of any kind! If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance because of thoughts of suicide, please call 911 or your local emergency number. If you are not in immediate danger, but need to speak with someone about suicidal feelings, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free number in the US: 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255). International suicide prevention hotlines list – here at Suicide.org.
**Anxiety and depression can be serious illnesses, and some people are just physiologically set up to experience more negative emotional experiences than others. Some of this is hardwired in your brain through genetics, some of it is caused by your environment, your life/work situation, and any traumatic experiences you may currently be experiencing, or may have experienced in your past. Please take care of yourself, try and get enough sleep, eat well and get in at least 20 minutes of minimal exercise a few days a week whenever possible. You may wish to try some natural antidepressant supplements, and speak to a doctor, therapist or other licensed medical professional. (See this article from DoctorOz.com: Natural Antidepressants.)
XO