I just had one of those moments where I needed to apply everything I say to clients to myself:
· Get out of your head. See what message your body has for you.
· Let your circle know you need support; you know they’ll get it.
· Ask someone who’s been through this what resources are available.
· Go outside and let the rest of nature soothe you.
For me, it’s often easiest to start with reconnecting to the more-than-human world. Fresh air. Sky. Bird song. The smell of damp ground. They invite me to step out of my spiraling thoughts, get some support, and reassess what’s really going on for me. And in me.
I’m not supposed to figure things out alone. And neither are you. No matter how much the self-help industry tells us we just need to work on ourselves.
What I’ve come to know about myself and about other sensitive women is that we’re fundamentally relational beings. That starts with your relationship with yourself. But if we want to live well, it’s not enough to focus on self-development like the wellness industry tries to convince you is the path forward.
We have to be engaged in our relationship with the more-than-human world (whether you call it nature, the Universe, Spirit, Gaia, or whatever). We’re wired to feel awe, wonder, and appreciation for things that are greater than our individual self.
We need to be in relationship with mentors who have the lived experience to support us and co-create with us, without telling us their way is the only way.
And we cannot overlook the importance of a relationship with a community of sensitive women who recognize all your strengths and reflect them back to you when all you can see are the challenges of being a deep, empathic, intuitive, creative soul.
These relationships create the catalyst for your identity transformation, so that you can shake off all the conditioned messages about how you’re “supposed” to be. That’s what it means to become Singularly Sensitive.
So many of us who are introverted and sensitive struggle with building relationships with a community. It’s partly a numbers game: there just aren’t as many of us in the world, and we’re probably not out in public, broadcasting that we want a community.
But that’s why I’m committed to creating community as part of Singularly Sensitive. I don’t want to leave you with holding the bag, knowing that connection with other women is vital but not having a path to build those connections.
There are two ways you can connect with community in the next couple of weeks:
· Our Soundings Circle on April 13th, where we’ll explore Self-Confidence as Sensitive Women.
· The Gentle Joy Women’s Leadership Collective, where you’ll get to be part of a small cohort who are transforming their leadership skills through mutual support.
[Bonus: you’ll get to experience the other three relationships in these communities, too!]
I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like all four relationships were completely “right” for me. There’s always room for growth. But I’m particularly glad that, in midlife, I’m finally learning not to do everything alone. I’m grateful for the mentors and communities of kindred spirits who hold me, push me, and believe in me when I’m riddled with doubts.
The Singularly Sensitive community can show you how to find a path forward where it’s not all up to you alone. Send me an email, leave a comment, or join me for the Soundings Circle, the Collective, or both. I’d love to welcome you to our community!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.