Turning the Spotlight Within
A Green Wall Analogy To Introspection
It dawned upon me, the other day, how accurately analogous this illuminated wall of lush vegetation is to the concept of introspection.
A trip within
Focussing the green light onto the plants creates a serene and inviting environment for them to thrive. Similarly, a journey inward is the illumination of areas requiring self-care and attention to nourish them.
But most importantly, it is one that starts in your own safe place. There is no judgement here, except for your own - we will deal with that in a minute.
Stepping onto this journey, there is an implicit and non-negotiable need to be kind to yourself.
Whether you choose to deliberate with yourself in the wee hours of the morning, late at night or even schedule an appointment with yourself, the exploration of the inner self brings insightful direction to your life.
So, take a seat, and let’s get acquainted with your feelings.
How are you feeling today? What is causing a conflict within you? What is it that you are not admitting to yourself? Are you tying your self-worth to somebody else’s image of you? Do you hold resentment against someone or an event? Do you wish you had done better?
Purposeful Discomfort
Arguably, these questions can be confronting. But remember, you are in a safe space. It is just you present with yourself in the moment. Whatever might have been the situation, it is not happening right now. Do not allow it to claim your mental real estate.
The aim of this purposeful discomfort is to laser down what we perceive as being complex issues into smaller manageable parts. The moment you identify the contrast, you are already halfway out of there, I say. It puts the power balance back into your hands because now you are actively aware of the stress factor and can therefore find ways to deal with it.
This decluttering of the mind makes space for more… hopefully not junk, but actionable steps to resolve an issue or brings realisation of what you need to do more, or less, of in your life. Overtime, you get better at recognising your triggers and motivations. You also develop you own individual way of dealing with them, building up your self-confidence and giving you a clearer sense of purpose.
5 Ways To Consistent Introspection
The power of introspection though, is not a gift that keeps on giving if not tendered to. Often, we slip right back into old habits or let old demons back in.
Again, the analogy of a garden comes to mind here. Just as a garden needs light (sun or artificial), water and care to thrive, we need to weed out the old habits, seed new goals and water them with consistency.
What has worked for me are:
Self-forgiveness: forgive yourself for not having known better at the time.
Accepting a situation: accepting that we cannot change someone else but only ourselves or our environment, means we can begin to move away.
Celebrating yourself: sharing little wins with friends and family creates a sense of shared accomplishment and will push you to follow through your goals.
Acknowledging the possibility of failure: knowing that you might fail at certain endeavours in the beginning and that it would not be the end of the world, frees you from the burden of guilt or powerlessness.
Commitment to the discomfort: as they say, the only way out, is through.
