Often when we think about connection, our first thoughts go to connecting with others. The relationships that we surround ourselves with are, of course, a hugely important influence on our lives. But the relationship we have with ourselves is the key to everything.
Sometimes we already have a very clear picture of what’s going on. If we are feeling happy and have a sense of hope and excitement about the future, then we assume things are going good. Likewise, we know when things are difficult, as we feel stressed or angry or unhappy about our present situation.
But sometimes we just feel a bit ‘off’. Not quite happy, but nothing specifically wrong. And if life looks good from the outside, we can almost feel guilty for feeling that way. But our intuition is there to act as an early warning system, and can guide us to look a bit deeper.
Taking some time to check in with ourselves can give us insight into what’s really going on. And that means time away from the distractions or the ‘to do list’ (or the ‘I should’ list!). Going out for a walk on your own can be great thinking time for this.
Maybe you will be able to get real about how a situation is really affecting you. Doing things because we feel we should, or because other people expect us to, can lead to us feeling that our time or opinions don’t matter.
Or perhaps we just feel stuck in a bit of a rut and are unmotivated. The old saying ‘if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got’ is so true. We need new and novel things to keep us going. Even making slight changes in routine or a change of scenery can make a big difference.
When we listen to ourselves regularly, we can address the things that are causing an imbalance before they start to grab hold, and make the necessary changes before they become a bigger issue.
So if you’re feeling a bit out of kilter…get quiet and listen…the answer is in there!
Photo credit: @guilia_bertelli via Unsplash.com