Not life in terms of the bucket list or the achievements we desire, while those may be an accessory to it. Life with a capital L. Life Force — the Source of our being that wants us to fully experience being human and all the dimensions that this includes.

Being human is to be with ourselves, be in our bodies and be with all the emotions that naturally arise — in connection with ourselves and to know the deeper Self. Life begs us to feel something that wants to be felt and will insist until we do. And to know all the while, that we are not those things we feel, but the awareness that witnesses and can experience it all.

And for us to truly know the freedom that we have and are. Life wants us to expand — our capacity to be in our inner and outer freedom and Life energy.

I’ve noticed when I don’t say yes to feeling, the same feeling shows up in repeated patterns, night dreams; we getting ourselves into situations where we are suddenly feeling the same way all over again… This is being imprisoned to a feeling.

Last night I had a dream that I was playing volleyball on a team. The net was really high and my team was scatterbrained! We manage to move through the game and it’s my turn to serve. Can I serve overhand? I practice on the wall. I doubt myself and decide to go underhand. I miss the net and feel embarrassed and incapable.

As I woke up, I felt doubt and discomfort. I felt the familiar and old feeling of fear guiding my choices so I could stay perfect in others’ eyes.

While using the messages in the dream to inform my life choices is helpful and I would do that, there was also an emotional experiential quality that wanted to be honored.

I asked myself two main questions:

• Is it manageable to feel this now?
• Am I willing to feel embarrassed, indecisive, and doubtful? Incapable?

And as both of those resounded a yes for me in that moment, my adolescent self (who played volleyball and felt the dream was super familiar of course) got to grieve the feelings that didn’t she get support on when she was younger.

I had tears and a feeling of being with another part of myself that wanted to be seen.

This feeling wasn’t binding me anymore, but I can and have the capacity to feel it if needed. This was freedom! A little bit than I had before, which makes a difference.

Life Gives You Opportunity for More Freedom

So when Life gives you a chance for more freedom once you move through the experience, I wonder what you’d like to do?

If you’re interested in these questions, ask yourself:

❤ Is it manageable to feel this now?

• This is to check for your body and nervous system’s level of safety and capacity to feel this. Sometimes it may feel that your body is not big enough to hold the feeling or it feels overwhelming. Respect if your BODY says NO.
• If no, notice how you can tell your body says no.
• If yes, notice how you can tell and move onto the next question.

❤ Am I willing to feel this now? Am I willing to feel ____ (name the feeling, experience, or emotion)?

• You can always say no! Maybe it’s a meal for another day that you can come back to.
• If yes, make sure your inner witness is on observing yourself and ease into the feeling and notice what arises in your body — its emotions, sensations, thoughts, and feelings.

More Support

Be gentle with yourself!

If you’d like more information on tending to nervous system overwhelm, when your body does not feel safe enough to feel your experience, and how to notice this, check out my podcast on Nervous System Overwhelm.

For more support with expanding into your capacity to feel and be in your freedom, reach out to me for a free consultation or sessions. I love supporting people in feeling more like themselves and being in their bodies.

Featured Photo by Slava B on Unsplash

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