I did something super scary today. Like, not even really THAT scary. I didn't bungee jump or run into a burning building or flee a failing country with my child.
But for me, super scary.
Because sometimes stepping up and doing a really hard thing and committing to growing is the scariest thing you will ever do.
There isn't an empath that doesn't bear the scars of the many horrible things we've been called. Of course, because we truly DO feel everything and we truly DO take everything to heart, this can impact us at such a deep level that we take their perspective on who we are as truth. Because of that, we try to hide the depth of our feelings, and we shove the pain we are sensing deep down within. And, we often get sick from this - powerful emotions have a tendency to make us sick if we try to deny them after all.
It's time to stop feeling shame because you feel so much. It's time to stop feeling like you are weak because you care.
Let's just be real; choosing happiness can seem like a tall order, given the state of the world right now. So, when I talk about choosing happiness, let me be clear: what I mean is that you are choosing to find moments of joy, love, acceptance, and peace inside yourself, even with everything going on.
Believe me, I get myself in knots over all the pain in the world. I speak up on injustice when I see it. I worry over the wellbeing of literally everyone in the whole world. I bet you do, too.
It's seriously overwhelming. And, if I didn't take a moment to pull back, to disconnect, to recenter myself into my own reality, I would be completely burnt out (and I know of what I speak, because I've done it).
It's so hard to not get pulled into the world of comparing yourself, you life, and your success to others, particularly in the social media world. We look and all we see are the ways in which our lives are lacking, connecting ourselves with a constant stream of sadness, fear, and even self-loathing.
