In this newsletter I’m going to explain the 3 steps to find out who you really are.

You might think you know yourself quite well. But do you, really?

The world is so busy with school, work, and extracurricular activities. Oh wait, let’s not forget household shopping, cooking dinner, homework, housework, friends, relatives, and all the events happening in our town and the news. Our heads and attention are everywhere and yet nowhere at all.

We even have a little device that keeps our minds distracted with entertaining humorous videos and endless social media feeds. And then we can block the world out and isolate ourselves in our houses with yet another distraction from reality: Netflix.

With all this action going on our attention span is decreasing every day and our feelings are just reactionary because we have no quiet time to think for ourselves. It’s hard to quiet our minds and hear our own thoughts, feel and process our feelings, and feel like we have a solid foot on this earth.

In the midst of this chaos have you ever asked yourself who exactly you are? What are your passions? What are your values? What do you stand for? Are you living your life the way you really want. Are your thoughts and feelings yours or are they just in sync with the world’s view on things?

How does one start to even begin to know all that amidst all this distraction and time wasting. It starts by being still and quiet and becoming aware of your body and thoughts as well as inspiration that comes to you.

Why should you find out who your real authentic self is? Why does it even matter?

Well one day and it will happen, you will be so stressed out from the world pulling you every which way with its trends, technology, and negative energy, that your body will start to tell you that something is not right.

Your body will let you know in the form of anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, high blood pressure, and much more. You’ll feel like a total mess.

You might say but I’m perfectly fine, Michele; and that might be so. But the number of people suffering from anxiety and depression keeps going up every year. How many people do you know that suffer from it? It’s everywhere. I myself have experienced it and know that in this world we live in, it will eventually happen to you also. We are human after all and were not meant to live like this

So, I ask you: Is your life really in line with your authentic self?

Once you get in alignment with your soul and desires and find out what makes you, YOU, you’ll get increasingly happier.

Now happiness means all sorts of things to many people. But happiness is really being content, creative, and giving back to others. Once our basic needs are met these things are essential for our happiness.

Unfortunately, many people just get a prescription for an antidepressant to mask the symptoms and go back on autopilot. I get it. Life is busy and it takes time and money to change your life. And I’m not knocking medication. I myself have to take an antidepressant. It will take the edge off but for you to get in touch with your true self and live a life of happiness and calmness you will have to dig deeper into why this is all happening.

Wouldn’t it be beneficial if you stopped for a minute to reevaluate your life and started to ask what feelings and thoughts are truly yours?

Here is how in 3 simple steps.

You can start to find yourself in 3 simple steps:

These steps are free and easy, and you can do them in short bouts. Go ahead and try them out. There are free videos on YouTube that will teach you to meditate, and there are so many different ways to journal and express yourself. YouTube and Google are your best friends. You can always turn to those websites for some answers to your questions.

When was the last time you truly expressed your inner self? Your desires and deep thoughts?

Here are the 3 steps to get started.

  1. Meditate
  2. Journal
  3. Spend time in nature & stillness

Your heart will soar at the attention that you are giving your body. Your body will tell you things and you might want to listen. Is anything sore, or hurting, or is something a little off?

Your mind will get the rejuvenation it so desperately needs. You will find that you are quieter, observe more, and are more thoughtful. You will begin to do activities that you actually enjoy doing. You might find a whole list of things that need to change for the better.

How do I know this? Because I have experienced it firsthand. Also, if you’ve ever been to a “in real life” meditation class, you will witness everyone there experiencing the relief they so desperately needed.

So, here’s each step explained in full.

Step 1: Meditate

Meditation will help you relax your body and mind. When we are stressed, our bodies get very tense and most times, we find it hard to just relax and loosen up. Mediation is a very effective tool to help us achieve relaxation.

And when we relax our breathing gets back into a normal rhythm. This is important because we usually tend to hold our breath when we are upset and stressed. Our bodies need oxygen to circulate throughout our body in order to work properly. So, mediation helps us loosen up our breathing as well.

Our minds will also benefit from meditation. Our imagination can be taken away on a journey to wherever your true self wants to go. Usually, meditations are guided. But you can do them without music or guidance. What is your comfort level?

Don’t just take my word for it, here is how Deepak Chopra, MD, a world-renowned doctor and author describes the effects of meditation on our body in an article on his website titled, Find Your True Self Through Meditation:

“Meditation is one of the best ways to loosen the grip of sticky emotions and connect to our true self, which isn’t limited, angry, or fearful, but is infinite, pure consciousness. Meditation brings us home to the peace of present-moment awareness and gives us an experience of profound relaxation that dissolves fatigue and long-standing stresses.”

So why not give mediation a try today! Start slow and gradually increase your time. Don’t be discouraged because this is a practice for you and by you. If your mind wanders just bring it back to your breath. You can do that over and over with no judgments. We are human and that is the way of our mind. You are not doing it wrong. Just bring it back when you notice it.

Step 2: Journal

Journaling will help you get your thoughts out of your head and onto a solid substance such as paper. Now you are able to clearly see what your thoughts have been thinking and keep it in sight. This brings clarity because our heads tend to swell with all this thinking.

Writing things down also helps us process our thoughts, acknowledge them, and give them a voice. Sometimes we can even see patterns in the way we think and discover things we didn’t realize that we knew. It’s also a great way of working out problems and frustrations.

Meera Lee Patel is an artist and an author of her own guided journal. She was interviewed by mindbodygreen.com and said this of journaling: “The purpose of journaling is to awaken conscious thinking, which is simply having an honest conversation with yourself.”,

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an honest conversation with yourself? How would that feel for you? What would that look like?

There are many ways of journaling besides the traditional way that we have been taught. You can be as creative or as plain as you desire. You can write elaborately or as little as you want.

Here is an example of an art journal. Heck, even doodling is now considered journaling. Well, then, I’ve been journaling all along then. How about you?

Art Journal by Renee Cole

Go ahead and try it today with no judgments. Let you mind, thoughts, and creativity flow.

Step 3: Spend Time in Nature & Stillness

Being out in Nature is very therapeutic for our minds, bodies, souls, and our inner muse. Nature has the ability to ground us and assure us that she is there supporting us whether we realize it or not. It’s a good loving reminder of that when we have our bare feet on the ground.

Besides grounding, nature also has all the particles in the air that we need to keep our minds clear, our bodies in tune with immunity and emotional happiness.

It also sparks our creativity, and we see possibilities everywhere. It’s so beautiful and the birds and wildlife are a delight to see.

Here is a quote from a website cited below, author unknown: “Most of us have had experiences like these. We know that nature is a place of peace that soothes the soul. The silence we experience there is unlike the silence we experience anywhere else. It’s silence in its purest form, the kind that quiets the mind, calms the body, and aligns the spirit with something greater than itself.”

This quote is so true. As I was sitting outside by my favorite tree this weekend, I was reminded of the stillness and just sitting with no distractions from my phone or kids, or coffee cup. Just me and nature. There were so many birds and two flew right past my face. They showed me their homes. The green from the trees, grass, and flower buds were so bright and beautiful. It was peaceful. Peace at last! It was also the inspiration for this newsletter.

So, there you have it. The 3 Steps to find out who you truly are and also habits that you can use throughout your life. Afterall we are always changing and evolving.

What will you try today? This weekend?

Enjoy!

Michele O

Sources:

​Find Your True Self Through Meditation – Chopra​

​77 Journaling Prompts For Self-Discovery, From Therapists | mindbodygreen​

​The Benefits of Being Quiet in Nature | Kripalu​

Art Journal Photo, courtesy of Renee Cole


Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

  1. Our Sancturary – Join this monthly membership for meditation, breathwork, journaling, etc. to help you manage your day and give you relief from the stress of life.
  2. The Power of You!– Join this intensive healing program designed for deep healing and finding your badass powerful self.
  3. Oracle of the Land – Join this monthly membership for living and being present for each month with contemplating activities.

For more information about each, just click on the links.