Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality
“You have no choice. You must leave your ego on the doorstep before you enter love.” ~ Kamand Kojouri
Self-love is an inside job. It’s about fully accepting yourself and loving what makes you unique, instead of seeking validation through your performance. It’s treating yourself with kindness and respect even when you feel uncertain about your choices or circumstances.
Self-love is a healthy choice for your mind, body, and soul. However, it is not always easy to achieve. You encourage greater self-love by carving out time for yourself, engaging in mindful activities, and connecting with things you’re passionate about.
You can fuel a deeper love for your authentic Self, ignite greater inner passion, and connect with the divine by nurturing your mind, body, and soul with self-love practices and self-acknowledgment. Yet, even as you engage in these practices, you may find that you struggle to connect with a more profound love for your Self.
Why do you find yourself struggling with true, authentic self-love?
The greatest obstruction to self-love is your ego. The ego is the part of the psyche that’s preoccupied with the Self and the external world. It’s driven by the need to maintain and protect the Self. This can interfere with your ability to love yourself, because it can cause you to be overly critical and judgmental of your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. It can also lead you to focus on your flaws and insecurities, which can make it harder to love yourself.
When you loosen the ego’s grip and focus inward, you can evoke a deeper self-love. You’ll then feel more passion in your everyday life and discover greater success that comes with ease—and without the ego.
7 Ways To Loosen The Ego’s Grip
Practice mindfulness and cultivate self-awareness.
Self-awareness is an internal guide that lets you know when self-love is needed and the ego must be checked. When you slow down and move mindfully and intentionally during each moment of your day, you cultivate greater awareness of your mind, body, and soul. Take a pause before starting something and inquire about the intention behind it.
Show compassion towards yourself and others.
When you show compassion towards yourself and others, you acknowledge that everyone has a right to practice what they love without judgment. Help others when they’re in need. Celebrate their accomplishments. Also, be kind and forgiving to yourself. When you learn to love yourself, despite your mistakes, the ego has less power over you. See mistakes as opportunities to learn something new and move forward with greater wisdom and understanding.
Let go of judgment and comparison.
The ego loves to compare the self to others. It will imply that something is not worth doing if your performance is not perfect. This is to protect itself from failure or inadequacy. Remind yourself that your journey is not to be compared with that of other people, as you are a unique individual. Celebrate your successes and the successes of others to loosen the ego’s grip of envy.
Question the validity of your thoughts and beliefs.
Your thoughts and beliefs often come from long-ingrained conditioning deep in the subconscious mind. However, these beliefs may no longer serve your best interests. Keep a journal to record these outdated thoughts and your ideas about more valid beliefs. The ego has less control when you can see things from a different perspective.
Challenge yourself to think outside your comfort zone.
The ego is the voice in your head telling you that something’s not possible. It fears failure and disappointment. Feel the fear and step out of your comfort zone anyway. You might surprise yourself or learn something new during the process.
Acknowledge and accept your limits.
Your ego will often tell you that you can’t do something. However, it can also push you to be an overachiever. It may tell you that you have to do it all and please everyone in order to be adequate and successful. Be mindful of when the ego is pushing you too far in this direction and pause to check in with yourself.
Seek outside help and feedback.
You don’t need to feel shame or embarrassment when you ask for help—that’s your ego talking. Learn something new or gain greater insight into your actions by embracing the wealth of knowledge from your friends, family, and associates.
Choosing self-love over the control of the ego is an internal shift. When you invoke a deep love for your authentic Self and connect with your greatest passions, you can transform your life from struggle to ease.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Although you are a spiritual being, you may struggle with unresolved issues stemming from your human experience. These issues tend to cause emotional and mental upset, which can keep you “asleep” and unaware that you are a spiritual being. Yet, at some point you may tire of the struggle and desire to embark on the path of spiritual evolution.
Spiritual evolution is the journey to find and experience the divine being at the core of your existence, also referred to as your true nature or higher self. To evolve spiritually, you must free your awareness from your ego, identities, and the conditioning of past experiences. This allows you to dissolve your unresolved issues and view life from new perspectives. This shift enables you to experience greater peace, joy, and ease. As a bonus, your growth contributes to the evolution of the human collective consciousness.
The Process of Spiritual Evolution
A key step to evolving spiritually is recognizing that you’re on a journey to discover your true nature. You deepen your introspection by engaging in spiritual practices such as journaling, meditation, and mindful movement. This provides you with greater clarity and insight. As you continue forward on your journey, you may notice certain indications that you’re evolving. Here are 3 stages of spiritual evolution:
Conscious Connection
Your subconscious stores an accumulated wealth of knowledge that isn’t always accessible to your conscious mind. As you evolve spiritually, you’ll experience greater mental clarity, and connections between the conscious and subconscious become more frequent and distinct. You might notice that your instincts are heightened or that you make decisions with greater confidence and ease. These are signs of an increased connection between your conscious and subconscious.
Awareness
Being present and living in the moment is a sign that you’re developing greater awareness. This awareness is essential to connecting with your true nature. Being at ease with uncertainty or finding joy in quiet moments are both indications of your growing awareness. Appreciate the moments when you are present and aware, as they bring more clarity and a deeper relatedness with your true self.
Awakening
An awakened mind sees the positive aspects of a situation more readily. You’ll find that you have greater faith in the Divine, allowing you to better trust your timeline. As you discover your deeper purpose, you’ll experience profound levels of insight and joy. Awakening to your true nature enables you to access and activate your greatest potential.
Tips to Remember
It takes time
Spiritual evolution is an ongoing journey. Throughout life, your true nature will provide guidance and wisdom. The more you trust in the Divine and stick with your spiritual practices, the greater chance there is of synchronicities appearing in your life.
It’s not always easy
Even when you engage in consistent spiritual practices, you may encounter obstacles. Choosing to stay on the path of spiritual evolution requires discipline. How you handle the challenges that occur will determine the extent to which you reap the rewards of ease and flow.
Major shifts might occur
Change can be uncomfortable at times. Yet, it’s important to your spiritual evolution. Your insights may invite shifts in such areas as your relationships, career, and lifestyle. Welcoming these shifts opens the door to receiving outcomes that are beyond your imagination.
As you look for signs of your spiritual evolution, you’ll be more inspired to remain on the path that leads to experiencing your true nature.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality
Evolution is typically defined as “a change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations.” When we hear “evolution”, we tend to think of the progressive change of a species adapting gradually over time in response to their shifting environment.
This article will address evolution from a spiritual perspective. For simplification, let’s say that evolution is a process of growth and change that usually produces a stronger, more advanced form that is better able to thrive in an existing environment.
The term “spiritual evolution” indicates that our mind and spirit evolves from a simple form, that’s dominated by nature and the physical world, to a higher form dominated by the Spiritual or Divine. In plain language, it’s the growth and transformation of your soul and the awakening of your higher Self. Therefore, understanding how to evolve can guide you on an unimaginable journey of self-discovery.
As you move through life, any number of circumstances can encourage your personal evolution. The choices you make in response to these occurrences are catalysts for the evolution of your Soul. These defining moments allow for transformational shifts in your journey and encourage growth and self-discovery, which are key to achieving success with greater fulfillment and joy.
4 Questions To Guide You Through Evolutionary Change
Where are you in your evolution?
The first step to realizing your full potential is to acknowledge that your journey has already begun. Recognizing where you are on your journey and where you desire to be helps you continue forward with greater confidence. Consider your past, your future, how far you’ve come, and the values you want to convey to the world. As you reach greater levels of awareness, you may discover you’re further along in your evolution than you thought or you might uncover new aspirations for growth.
How do you perceive your past choices?
As you reflect on your journey, you might feel regret about a moment in the past. If this occurs, it’s important to understand that dwelling on past mistakes can prevent forward movement. When you are able to look back and recognize these moments as learning experiences instead, you shift your narrative.
How do you respond to change?
Your response to challenges can significantly impact upon your evolutionary process. As you grow spiritually, you begin to shed your ego and embrace greater self-awareness. So when you are faced with unexpected external events, instead of reacting without thinking, you’ll be able to respond more consciously and with greater clarity. Learning to accept even the most difficult circumstances with greater ease creates the space for new opportunities and paths to show up.
What tools can help you have a positive evolutionary experience?
When a life event occurs, it may not seem clear at first how it will impact your growth. There are tools, or spiritual practices, that can provide the clarity and perspective to evolve with greater ease. Below are a few of these practices and how they work:
- Mindful movement: relaxes the body and calms the mind. Mindful movement is any activity that is done with intention and allows you to focus on your breath in order to create stillness in the mind.
- Journaling: evokes subconscious thoughts for greater mental clarity.
- Spoken affirmations: encourages greater confidence and ease during uncertain times.
- Gratitude: a reminder of how far you’ve come in life and the growth you’ve accomplished on your journey. Practicing gratitude daily to acknowledge all that you have can bring even more blessings into your life.
Spiritual evolution is a personal journey that might be prompted by an undesirable or unexpected circumstance. When you understand that any experience is a part of your evolutionary journey, you are better able to harness its positive aspects for a greater connection with your higher Self.
This year, let life’s changes inspire your journey of evolution.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality
My previous article, How To Share Your Blessings With Your Community, responds to the question, “What can I do for the community?”. In it, I addressed how sharing your blessings with your community can evoke fulfillment, especially around the holidays.
However, community can also benefit you in other ways.
You may be wondering, “What do you mean by community connection and how can it serve me?”
A community is composed of like-minded individuals who share common interests and goals. Connecting with community can spark passion, align you with your purpose, and fuel your dreams.
Whether you’re feeling disconnected from your purpose… Or lacking the strength of passion that you once possessed… It could be that your journey requires the giving and receiving of support that can come from being in community with other high-achieving women.
Connecting with like-minded women can reactivate your passion, provide insight, and encourage you to realign with your life’s true purpose.
How community encourages passion and life purpose:
Elicits communication and truth
Communicating with others can give rise to unrecognized aspects of your true self. Expressing yourself with those who give you permission to be fully YOU allows for the discovery of deeper truths within, as well as greater insights into your journey.
Boosts confidence
It is not unusual for our thoughts to spin out into ‘what if’ narratives. This can lead to self-doubt and stuckness. Your affiliation with a community that cheers you on can boost your confidence to continue forward on your path.
Provides alternate perspectives and possibilities
Perhaps you’re at a crossroads in your journey. You’re not sure which direction to take. Or you’re questioning whether your current path will lead to the desired result. Access to community provides you with the opportunity to receive different perspectives and broader possibilities. This allows for shifts in your mindset that you might not have otherwise experienced.
Helps overcome unhealthy emotions
Feelings of fear, anger, or unworthiness can negatively impact your journey. However, when you’re connected with a group of women who share your interests and values, it’s easier to shake these unhealthy emotions. Community can encourage laughter, joy, and support that clears the way for aligned action.
Supports alignment with purpose
Your purpose or legacy isn’t always clear to see. And, getting to a place where you have more clarity can be a journey. With a community of like-minded women as your champions, you’re that much closer to aligning yourself with your greater purpose.
3 Ways to connect with community
Attend events
Connecting with others requires action on your part. You may need to step out of your comfort zone or adjust your normal routine to find a community that resonates with you. Consider taking classes that feed your interests or attending meet-ups and programs happening in neighboring areas. You can even join virtual communities that connect through online or in-person events.
Explore public spaces
Find public places that appeal to your interests. If you love being outdoors and have a passion for nature, move some of your activities to a nearby park. If you love business, move to a co-work space that could evoke associations with others who have similar goals. This might not be a formal community, however, a communal space can be a good place to start expanding your connections.
Schedule time
A big part of uniting with a community is making the time to connect. Perhaps you already have a network of like-minded friends who can serve as your community. Then, it’s merely a matter of scheduling get-togethers where you can share your thoughts, goals, and dreams. And don’t forget to ask how you can support each other moving forward.
If you’re uninspired, unmotivated, or lacking passion to move forward, community can provide the support you desire. Connecting with like-minded women can bring greater purpose and joy to your journey.
Embrace community and discover greater inspiration on your path of purpose.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia
I used to spend days on end in bed when my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue were at their worst. I was in such pain. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t even move at times because it felt like I was being sucked into the mattress…like I was laying in quicksand.
I couldn’t decide if my bedroom was a sanctuary…or a prison. It was so easy to stay in bed because I was tired, oh so tired, all the time! During the short stints when I was awake, I was lonely and sad. Then I’d get frustrated and angry. But this just made my pain and fatigue worse. I felt helpless and tortured myself with thoughts of, “Why me?”
This went on for months until one morning as I lay in my sanctuary-prison and watched as the sun came through the windows. I could hear a lawnmower buzzing outside. And then a thought popped into my head and a feeling moved through me. I became aware that I was part of something bigger than myself. I knew I had been put on this earth for a purpose and it wasn’t to lay in this bed forever. I began to cry as a huge wave of relief washed through me. I could continue to give in and play it safe, but I knew that I was here for a reason. I just had to figure out what that was.
It would have been easy to stay in bed, but I chose to make a change, to take some action steps…even if it was just one little step at a time. I had come across a life coach several months earlier and decided that I would see if she could give me the support that I needed to turn my life around.
My coach helped me to realize that my anger at my body didn’t serve me. What served me most was believing I could get better and adopting a positive attitude. Thus began my search for ways to stay positive.
I found that when I took on this mindset, I felt empowered. I had more energy. My pain lessened. I discovered I could take back my life! I was tapping into the spark inside me…and I didn’t have to do it alone.
That was 9 years ago. Now I have freedom from fibromyalgia. I took back control from my symptoms. I now enjoy being in a body and having the energy to pursue my purpose in life. I now know that purpose is to support other women who have fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue…like you. I have the empathy, education, experience, and expertise to help you find freedom from fibromyalgia, too. Which is why I’m inviting you to sign up for a “Take Back Your Life” Consultation. So you can get the necessary support to take charge of your symptoms and find the freedom you are looking for.
In this private 60-minute phone consultation, we’ll:
- Identify the biggest challenges in your journey with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
- Get you immediate support to begin addressing those challenges
- Find hope and explore possibilities for getting free of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
- Discover how we might work together moving forward to lessen pain and take charge of your symptoms and your life
To schedule your complimentary “Take Back Your Life” Consultation, click here.
This action step is for YOU if you also know the pain of laying in bed, sleeping your life away. It’s for you if you’re ready to get out of your prison…the key is inside of you and I can help you find it. And this is for you if you desire MORE… more energy, more clarity (say goodbye to brain fog!), more excitement about your life (bye bye depression) and more freedom from the fibromyalgia symptoms that have been controlling your body and your life. Taking this step of getting support is KEY to having what you really desire for yourself.
Here’s to your ultimate freedom!
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.
Whitney
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia
Did you know that energy can come in a bottle?
About 4 years ago I was finally at a point where fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue had very little affect on my life…except that I still had about 1 day a week when I was forced to do nothing but rest.
Although this was a great improvement in the grand scheme of things, I wanted more. Being in charge of my life for 6 out of 7 days a week equaled 86%, but I wanted to be 100% in charge of my life. 🙂
So I made the commitment to do whatever it took to get there.
Within a year, I met someone who was very knowledgeable about essential oils. I knew essential oils could be beneficial. I even owned some essential oils. But I had no idea how to really use them for my health and energy. I would inhale them when I felt anxious or stressed. I would also occasionally put them in my bath, but that was the extent of my “knowledge.”
I was told success stories about how essential oils had helped others who have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, so I decided to try the recommended oils. Although it took discipline, initially I had to use the oils at least 3 times a day, I did it!
Well, within 2 weeks I realized that I had not needed even 1 day of rest. 2 weeks turned into 1 month and then 2 months and I still had not needed even 1 day of rest. I was amazed and extremely excited that I had made the commitment to try the oils. In conjunction with all the other things that I was doing for myself, I was seeing a real difference.
I also found that certain essential oils can lift your spirits. Studies show that positive emotions increase your energy and decrease your perception of pain. So energy really does come in a bottle. It’s YOUR energy in YOUR body that these essential oils ignite. They’re really easy to use – just inhale the oil(s) and apply to the bottom of your feet and/or your pulse points. You can apply these essential oils whenever you need a pick-me-up.
Before I tell you which oils have these qualities, I want you to know that not all brands are created equal. And since they are inhaled and absorbed directly into the body, my recommendation is to only use brands that do NOT add chemicals to their oils. Look for essential oils that indicate “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade,” like doTERRA or Young Living oils.
The essential oils that can lift your spirits, and therefore increase your energy and ease your pain, are lemon and orange. doTERRA also has a couple of proprietary blends that I would highly recommend: Cheer Uplifting Blend and Elevation Joyful Blend. I endorse doTERRA oils because they have worked for me so well, their quality is top-shelf, and I greatly respect their company philosophy. If you are interested in finding these oils, comment on this blog and I will get you more information.
Whitney
