Tune into your Inner Voice for Truth, the Rest is Just Static
Self-motivated change is one of the benefits of being human. You can decide at any point to change your life completely. Pick up and move. Quit a job or kickstart a new career. Begin a relationship or finally put an old one out of it’s misery. And while making these big choices (as well as all the small ones that follow) your powerful inner voice is by your side. Your rock. The trusty friend that takes all our phone calls and is available at all hours. But in times of big change you can get caught up in the excitement and fear of transition and forget to tune into and trust your inner voice, opting for the static of other people’s voices and opinions instead.
At times of big change and transition, it’s absolutely essential to trust what you hear and feel, even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment. Time spent over-searching or asking others can cloud your view in a way that dilutes the power of your own voice, making it harder to trust what you first thought or felt. I’m not saying bypass taking time to feel into what your inner voice is telling you before taking action. That is essential. It’s just that after asking yourself the same question 10 different ways and arriving at the same answer, you have to trust the answer you get.
When Inspirational Flow Transitions into Coasting
When you do a weekend retreat, take a class or move through an important life transition, you vow to take on new steps and a fresh perspective. You are bursting with energy to implement changes, immediately. There are notes to review. Ideas to ponder. New lists to create. You are in the midst of a new creative flow, flush with excitement and potential. Then, a few weeks later, find yourself trailing a bit as you re-submerge yourself into the chaos of everyday life. Why? You aren’t spending the same attention and quality time tuning into and trusting your creative voice as before.
Classes, groups and retreats present you with built-in “permission” to tune into your inner voice and really trust it. The venue serves as a place where connection to the inner self and your opinion is encouraged and adds to the shared experience. Then, with the creative power of many voices giving themselves permission to share with each other, your own inner voice can feel safer to bubble up and be heard, shared and accepted with those of like mind. You have a mirror to reflect an objective perspective of your inner voice and truth back to you.
Then… you head home or move over the hump of a life transition. There is no more clear permission to tune in regularly (unless you have a support group). The practice of grounding your mind, body and spirit gets lost in errands, work and family. You are interacting with more people and ideas that can get jumbled into your own. And without a consistent routine of meditation or daily time alone, your inner voice can seem far away and muddled; a whisper so light you feel you may have imagined it.
Is it Time to Update How you Connect to the Inner You?
As you navigate the inner you and evolve, how you connect with your inner voice changes, too. Maybe its louder, the words softer and more supportive. Maybe you feel the answers more than you see them. Perhaps more ideas come through your dreams, when before they trickled into your consciousness in the light of the morning. Whatever changes are taking place let them flow through and find a way to reground through a new, simple practice to honor the inner you.
I find these three key practice points to help make room for the inner voice to feel heard:
- Time of day — Choose a time that is as consistent as possible to sit down, be still and tune in for 15 minutes, maybe listen to relaxing music to help you wind down
- Physical activity — Find an activity you love to do alone and get in the zone at least a 3 times a week
- Take grounding breaks — Find fun, simple things to do throughout the day to step away from the computer or a task, giving your mind a time out; mix them up to allow for playful flow
Attention to these three simple things offers a way for the body and mind to connect once again, to work as a team and open up your clear, uncensored inner voice — especially when done regularly as a practice. So if you find that the day slides by without acknowledging your inner connection, take a breath and dive into one of these steps!
I would love to hear what works for you — how you take your “time outs”.
Photo credit: h.koppdelaney