How I’m Taking Back My Life and Why You Should, Too.
Have you ever been awakened by a voice inside your head?
I’m not talking about the murmurings of the unconscious.
No.
I’m talking about a straight up command. A command to DO something. Like your life depended on it.
It happened to me.
One June morning, lying in bed in the space between awake and sleep, I heard a loud and clear voice in my head say, “Take back your life!”
My eyes shot open. I gasped, heart racing.
Those words felt like a warning. A desperate plea. I knew I had to pay attention.
But, here’s the thing… the message wasn’t just meant for me. I trust that your soul’s compass pointed you to this very blog post because there is message here for you, too.
First, let’s get one thing straight.
That voice I heard? I’m certain it was the call of my soul.
Now, I know how that sounds. A bit woo woo, right? You may be thinking: Oh, she’s one of those. She’s going to get all preachy and religious (insert eye roll).
Not exactly.
You see, I’m not a religious person. I am a seeker of meaning and purpose and connection. That is my spiritual path.
It makes perfect sense to me that “I” consists of a yin yang blend of ego and spirit. The ego often calling the shots while the spirit takes a passive back seat role. The two ride along this way until ego either falls asleep or has a meltdown — at which point spirit gladly and expertly takes the wheel.
But ego has developed such good coping skills that she almost never asks for help.
That’s when spirit gets loud.
Soul (I use spirit and soul interchangeably) rarely gets loud and bossy, so when she does you know it’s important and you need to shut up and listen. I did.
I got still and quiet. I asked questions and listened for answers. I journaled.
Here’s what I heard:
I’ve reached a point of exhaustion. The ego part of me has been controlling, perfecting, and planning for the future.
And between you and me… ego’s scared. She won’t admit this but it’s true.
She’s scared that if she’s not on top of things and in charge, everything will collapse. She hustles all day long to please others and get shit done. And, no one else can do what she can do. It’s a lonely feeling, which further adds to her exhaustion.
The yin yang of my ego and spirit were way out of balance.
Rather than tapping spirit to take the lead, my prideful ego found ways of coping to push through the the fatigue. And the coping methods further drained my energy and brought the added weight of shame.
My most soul-sucking “coping methods” are: flipping through Instagram or Facebook for hours, binge eating salty carbohydrate snacks, and watching the news ad nauseam.
I fool myself into thinking they’ll energize me, but they never do.
Over the past three months I’ve put strict boundaries in place to keep me from slipping into patterns of unhealthy coping.
One important boundary is around technology.
Technology is like radiation. A little exposure is okay, but too much is toxic.
How much is too much? For each person it’s different. For me, the threshold is about 15 minutes. Anything more than that and I fall into a zombie-like trance.
With this boundary, I free up time to do things that energize my spirit. A walk, connecting with my daughters, write, meditate, make beaded jewelry.
What about you?
What does it mean to “take back your life?”
What is your soul calling for?
What do you need to stop doing and start doing to get back into balance with your ego and spirit?
I encourage you to do something this week that enlivens your soul. Take a photo and post to Instagram with #TakeBackYourLife.
Together we can start a movement of greater soul-filled moments.
It starts with you.
Listen to your soul, she is calling.
All the best,
Kelley
Join me for the Rising Strong™ Online Workshop beginning October 16. This 4-week workshop is for a small group of women who want to live more courageously and authentically. Details and to register go to www.kelleydoyle.com/workshops
Kelley Doyle Snyder, PCC, RYT
Life Coach, Workshop & Retreat Leader
Kelley Doyle Coaching