When was the last time you acknowledged yourself?
When was the last time you intentionally honored the person you’ve become, the obstacles you’ve overcome (that people may or may not know about), the things you’ve achieved, the things you’ve let go of, the way you’ve put yourself out there……
In a world where many of us are dealing with so many things competing for our attention at any given time; where we get so focused on achieving or completing the next thing, we can forget how far we’ve come.
For me, in the last couple of weeks I:
💐 Led 2 full workshops
💐 Had 2 big in person auditions
💐 Went to 1 call back
💐 Had 2 live performances
💐 Got invited to speak on 3 different outlets
💐 Launched a group program
💐 Manifested a black family for my childhood home (in a historically black neighborhood that's getting massively gentrified)
I’m very proud of those tangible things but a big part of the reason I'm acknowledging myself for them is also because they didn't come from grinding or pushing myself into exhaustion.
They came from my own defined version of consistency, being intentional about my vision, being clear about where I allot my energy, going (gently) past my comfort zone, asking for help and taking soul-action.
I also decided that I needed to take a week to let all of those big things integrate and not just hop to the next thing, so I shifted my schedule and massively lessened what I needed to do for a few days afterwards.
This is very different than how those things may have come about in the past given I used to operate from a place of exhaustion, pushing and unhealthy comparison / competitiveness.
The reason I was able to do this differently was largely because of my own commitment to my energetic integrity.
The way I see energetic integrity is the degree to which we can define, honor and live within our unique energetic capacity.
I really emphasize ‘unique’ because it’s going to look different for everyone, especially if you are Highly Sensitive.
The fast paced, non-stop, constant creation, constant moving, constant achieving, constant producing may work for some but really may not actually be in alignment with who you are and how your energy authentically works.
This is a huge reason why so many of us experience burnout, misalignment, chronic fatigue, physical ailments, lack of clarity, overwhelm, fight/flight, fawn response/people pleasing and the freeze response (which often gets confused as ‘laziness’): we aren’t honoring our energetic integrity.
And when we are living outside of our energetic capacity, we may start to make choices and decisions that may not actually align with what we truly want or need.
We may make agreements or say yes to jobs, relationships, perspectives, opportunities or dreams that don’t honor our truth and our specific energetic blueprint (i.e what makes You, You).
It takes much time, presence, curiosity, practice, compassion, patience and commitment to slow down enough to reflect on where you may or may not be living in energetic integrity and it also takes trial and error.
But when we can begin to do this consistently, every aspect of our life has the possibility for transformation and can expand our ability to make decisions and create a life in alignment with who we really are.
Honoring your Energy / Energetic Capacity Can Look Like:
Listening to your body and the signals, signs and sensations they constantly give you. Your body will be the first thing to tell you where your integrity is (or is not).
Practicing sensation tracking:
i.e: “when this thing happens / when I am around this person / when I do this thing.....I notice this in my body” (tightness in my chest, pit in my stomach, tension in my shoulders, goosebumps on my arms, etc.)
Taking time each day to practice connecting to the Earth (note: you don’t have to actually physically connect to it if that’s not accessible). Earth’s energy is neutral, sustainable and life affirming.
Journaling or just taking time to discern what your actual needs are (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, financially)
When I feel overwhelmed, I need ___________ (space? time? a listening ear? to leave a situation?)
When I am anxious, I need __________ (rest? movement? a hug?)
I will not talk about ____________ with x,y,z person (because it depletes me etc., I don't feel seen, etc)
If I go to these environments, I need to make sure that ________________ (I feel grounded, I can only spend a certain amount of time, I take separate transportation)
Practicing trauma informed energy work like calling your energy back
Getting clear about your boundaries and verbally communicating them when necessary