Hello everyone! Wow, I hope that you are LOVING this summer weather. It has been SO fabulous!
Something that I have been looking at within myself and working on with my students is this pattern that we have to guard and defend. There may be legitimate times in our lives that we need to be able to guard and defend ourselves but to walk around with this very much on the surface is exhausting. It also will get in the way of developing the deeper levels of connection that we desire, discussed in the blog 2 weeks ago.
What exactly are we feeling so guarded about? What are we afraid someone will find out about us? What are we afraid that someone else will do to us?
Until we have developed a strong sense of Self, we fear being criticized, judged, blamed, ridiculed etc. We fear being “exposed” or “found out”. We fear that we will not be seen as “good enough” or “loveable enough”. We fear that we are not “safe”. With each fear that we carry, we have posted a sentinel to keep “guard”.
Begin to notice where you guard. Notice when your defenses come up. Ask yourself, “what am I guarding?” “Is it necessary?” “What do I fear I will lose?” “Is this even true?”
As we start to understand the deeper reasons that we have had these guards up, perhaps we can begin to let them go, one at a time. We can become more open, more curious, more engaged with life, more at ease with the wholeness of who we are. We can embrace our shadow as well as our light. We can learn to TRUST ourselves and our ability to move through the situations that life brings to us.
Let this be a practice to take on this week. Begin to observe when you notice your “guard” come to attention….and then look to see the deeper truth of what you are protecting.
Many blessings! Melanie
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