I believe that everyone carries past hurt that creates doubts and fears in the present moment. But the past does not have to live in the present, and freeing oneself from that past hurt involves tapping into self-trust and authentic truth telling. We can all move towards freedom and away from past constraints.
My past hurt involved abandonment and years of physical and emotional abuse. This manifested into limited beliefs and a lack of confidence. I turned to outdoor adventure and sports to find courage and strength to get me through those tough times. But that was not enough, because I still carried constraints. I kept telling myself that I was not good enough, not smart enough and not worthy of love. If you have carried some form of constraint into your adulthood, then read on as I share how I have worked to overcome those challenges.
- Story Release - At the core, we have an original state of being called "your truth". Then, your story phase of life happens. For me it was abandonment and abuse. What story have you been telling yourself and for how long? How bored are you with that story? How limiting is that story? The story keeps you from being that person you came here to be: "your truth".
- Voice Finder - Finding your voice = speaking + authenticity. Math problems take time to get good at and so does voice finding. Without it we feel overwhelmed, immobilized, withdrawn energetically, our throat constricts and jaw clenches, we disengage from self-expression, and we crave sugar and salt.
- Connecting Mind-Body - Ancestral hurt becomes encoded in our DNA. What we think determines our mental health. This can be debilitating in the present moment. If I were a book my title would have read: "crusher mountain athlete and lover of life", but once you turned the pages and began to dig deeper into my story, you would realize just how debilitated I was by my thinking. However, I was able to shift my thinking and shift my energy. I began a mind-body practice to facilitate a recoding process. It worked!
- Sweet Secret Surrender - Shame, guilt, it all blocks "your truth". We have secrets, our family secrets block trust. These blocks become cravings. The untrained mind does not listen to what the body really craves - to let go and forgive the constraints - rather, the mind allows the body to consume sugar, salt and other self-destructive practices.
- Forgiveness - This involves letting go of judgment. Our field of perception is tied to our ego, but we can let go of constraints and get back to baseline - "your truth" your birthright. The body wants to heal and will heal if you give it the time to do so.
- Reclaim "Your Truth" - I thought there was something wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with me and there has never been anything wrong with me. How did I come to this realization after years of shaming? It took time, but I let go of the concept that no one can take away who I was meant to be.
- Daily Practices - I gave away my power to those around me, especially my primary relationships. Giving your time and energy away can be unhealthy. How many times have you said yes when you really wanted to say no? How often do you give away your power? How often are you playing small, withholding your energy? Daily practices are how I say yes to me, how I found my power and how I committed to implementing radical self-care through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition and rest. Regular practices have given me extraordinary power.
Freedom is a choice. We have the ability to trust ourselves, to heal ourselves given half the chance. My experience finding "my truth" was not easy. Just like the mountains I climb, it requires deliberate and consistent steps. The process exposes many challenges and requires taking risks. You must be willing and motivated to go there. Each and every step is the present moment. Quantum Physicists say that there is a field of energy with unlimited possibilities that can only be present by being in the now. One thing I can assure you from my experience is that the journey of 10,000 unlimited possibilities and unknown outcomes has one heck of a view!
I teach Daily Practices Monday - Friday at my Health Coaching studio in Belfast, Maine. Go to www.northernvertical.com to learn more about these offerings.
Dream big,
Ryan