Your Subtle Bodies

cultivating self-trust

“The further away we get from trusting ourselves, the less likely we are to take risks, open up, love, and live a full, dynamic life”

@EmHappyHeart

Building self-trust is a daily commitment. I personally struggle with trusting my intuition, it is an active effort to continually dedicate myself to the practice. Meditation, journaling & talking through struggles with loved ones are methods I use to help ease my journey towards fluid self-trust, however, I find that at the root of it I need to meet my “self-love” needs first. If I am not taking care of myself – if I am pouring from an empty cup, I struggle most.

So how can we begin to embody self-trust?

1. Practice Reconnecting with Yourself. Many have resistance towards trusting their instincts because of past traumatic or difficult experiences. I know myself, I have trouble speaking up because of constantly being disciplined growing up for, “talking too much” and being “annoying”. When you are in a situation where you feel indecisive, consider asking yourself, “is this what I truly want?” If you repeat this often enough, you may find your inner voice becoming clearer as you learn to attune to your wants, needs and desires.
2. Create a daily practice that helps you understand your internal environment. Have you ever experienced a moment where you are in a flow state, locked into daily life as usual and all of the sudden burst into tears or anger out of nowhere? These, “surprise” emotions are usually a symptom of not acknowledging what is going on inside – in your physical, mental or emotional body. When we are unsure when these emotions might erupt we have trouble trusting ourselves to open up. One way to create a safe place to process our emotions is by having a regular practice of some sort – journaling, meditation, or a physical yoga practice. This practice helps to sort out our feelings, so we can identify what is going on and are able to make intentional, informed decisions that will honor and respect what I have going on internally.
3. Practice Acting on our Inner Callings. To build self-trust we need to experiment with acting on our innermost callings and desires that express the goodness within us. This will look different for everyone. For some it may mean trying something new or taking on challenge. For others it may mean slowing down and removing items from our to-do list. It may feel scary, but if we don’t try now, we may never give ourselves the opportunity to step into our fullest potential.
4. Set Reasonable Goals. Setting – and achieving – personal goals improves the level of trust we have in ourselves. For example, if you have the goal of “becoming stronger/fitter” set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) criteria to create small steps towards achieving this. Remember that change happens through consistency, the first step is always the most uncomfortable.
5. Spend Time Alone. Many people are afraid to be alone. It can bring up feelings of discomfort or loneliness. While it might initially feel uncomfortable, alone time can help you work out your own needs and preferences. It gifts you time to make decisions that feel right to you without being influenced by anyone else. Start small – maybe plan in advance a time slot to spend alone on a short walk, working on a hobby or visiting a new place. Activities that distract or dissociate you, (substances, social media), might be less helpful.

I hope this insights aids in your journey forward. I would love to hear what your own methods of building self-trust look like – you can contact me at serayhagrace@gmail.com. Have a wonderful week my loves ❤

Warmly,

Serayha Tukutau