It’s true what they say, sometimes you have to just be in the moment. ​ And not just the good ones that fill your heart with joy and gratitude - but the bad ones also. ​
The ones that fill your heart with an unexplainable sadness and melancholy.
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As grateful as I am for this past year, if I’m being really honest, 2022 was a mixed bag for me. ​ There were plenty of highs. ​
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But there were also plenty of lows. ​ And I think they deserve just as much acknowledgement and respect as the highs.
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And as I sat and reflected on the past year so I could plan this next one I felt the lows start to loom larger and take a form of their own..as if to challenge me and mock my plans for the upcoming year. ​
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They had snuck in like a trojan horse and suddenly taken control of my mind, filling me with doubt and questioning the steps I had taken over the year that just passed and those I was planning to take in the year to come. ​ ​ ​ ​
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Stealthy little suckers those self-defeating thoughts. ​
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But the truth is, we all have them. It’s part of being human. It’s also part of growing and evolving.
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A younger version of me would have either turned away from these thoughts and pretended they weren’t there - or spiraled into a black hole of self-criticism, blame, shame and negativity. ​ That version is still a part of me - she just no longer runs the show.
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Which is how I know I’ve made progress in this ever continuing journey of self exploration, growth and awareness.
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Because the version that is currently staring back in the mirror at me didn’t shame, or judge or hide - she got curious. ​
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I found myself asking what would happen if I just sat with those feelings and let myself feel them instead of hiding from them or judging them. And what if I didn’t worry about raising my vibration or jumping back into positivity as quickly as possible? ​ What if I let these “low vibe” thoughts and feelings tell me why they were here instead?
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And so I sat. ​ And I listened. ​ And let the thoughts unfold. ​
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And the more I welcomed them and allowed them to be, the less they started to impact me. ​ You see sometimes it’s less about actually ​ changing the thoughts and emotions and more about changing the impact they have on us. ​ ​ And we can’t change what we can’t see. ​ Which is why bearing witness to our thoughts and emotions - especially the painful and unwanted ones - can actually be such a powerful catalyst for changing and releasing them. ​
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And the gateway for making progress on this beautiful journey we know as life. ​
Progress and growth isn’t measured or defined by avoiding unwanted thoughts, feelings and emotions. That’s just a form of denial. True progress and growth is reflected in our responses to any unwanted thoughts, emotions and feelings that may come unexpectedly strolling into our minds and bodies.
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So the next time you find yourself thinking thoughts you’d rather not have, feeling emotions you’d rather ignore, I invite you to get curious. ​ Ask yourself what are they trying to say to you..what are they hoping to make you aware of? ​ ​
The answers may surprise you, and possibly even set you free. 💕
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Xoxo,
Afsheen