You are feeling exhausted even if you have rested enough.
You are feeling disengaged with your future vision or you are feeling confused with your present state.
You are not feeling motivated or excited about what you’re doing or experiencing in your life.
Does this sound familiar?
Among many other things that this pandemic has taught, connecting to your inner-self is really a one stop solution to all the disconnected, confused and distressed feelings that we all are experiencing as we fight the pandemic.
When you are disconnected from yourself, some signs to look out for are- constant self-doubt, procrastinating important tasks, an unforgiving or unkind self-talk, negative self-image, a pattern of dysfunctional relationships, low self-confidence, excessive overthinking, constant anxiety, unhealthy lifestyle, and emotional instability.
At times, we have to go through a painful challenge to look within and align ourselves to look for the solution. With some attention and focus, we can transform and reframe our way of thinking from challenges and setbacks to acceptance and striving to thrive in every situation.
The choice is, and has always been ours to make.
So, what does connecting to your inner-self mean?
Connecting to your inner-self is all about becoming aware, accepting yourself and being hopeful. It is a state of being where you feel empowered, strong and compassionate towards yourself. When you connect to your inner-self you release all those thoughts, emotions and feelings that distract you. With inner-self connection, you become aware of what is truly right and wrong for you as an individual.
It is important to know that when we are confronted with difficult times, we get a choice – either to accept the hurt from it or to accept the learning and strength from it. When I say strength, it simply means accepting the situation and it does not mean that one should numb, or escape from their feelings of hurt.
Strength lies in acknowledging the loss, grief, discomfort and hurt and then moving ahead from it. Sometimes when we do not grieve for our loss, we keep it all inside and it has a deeper impact on our emotional and mental wellbeing.
And this is when connecting to your inner-self plays an important role in helping you get through any difficult situation of your life. It is this connection that brings out your confidence and self-esteem; which points you to the correct direction meant for your life.
Why do you need to connect to your Inner-self?
We all know that when we become aware, we become empowered. This awareness that we achieve through inner-self connection has many benefits-
#1 Achieve one’s own capabilities
In order to reach our highest potential, we need to be aware of our own potential. When we connect with ourselves, we get to know ourselves better and become aware of who we are and what we are capable of.
#2 To know ourselves and others better
When we spend time with ourselves, we not only understand ourselves but also others. We recognise the causes of other people’s behaviors for different situations. When we learn more about others, we become more accepting towards the situation. By understanding the situation and the causes, we can improve the quality of our relationships and develop effective professional relationships and loving personal relationships.
#3 Become open to change
Once we become aware of our counter-productive behaviors, we become open to change those because they are increasing the gap between us and our goal. Being flexible is very important in order to achieve something.
#4 To become resilient towards any uncertainties
While we are learning from our past, we are decreasing the probability of making the same mistakes twice. Also planning prepares us for anything which might go wrong and we will be ready with a strategy to deal with it.
Key takeaways
- Connecting to your inner-self is all about becoming aware, accepting yourself and being hopeful.
- When you are disconnected from yourself, some signs to look out for are constant self-doubt.
- It is this connection that brings out your confidence and self-esteem; which points you to the correct direction meant for your life.
- By connecting to your inner-self, you will tune in to your own needs and fulfill it.
- Connecting to your inner-self will empower you to face any struggling or challenging situation.
How to connect with your inner-self
As a Global Executive Leadership Development Expert here’s a brief insight of my Framework on how to connect to your inner-self and harness its power…
By connecting to your inner-self, you will tune in to your own needs and fulfill it and that will empower you to face any struggling or challenging situation.
Here is a quick four step guide for you to follow that will help you in establish a deep connection with your Inner-self.
#1 Meditate to gaze within
This is where you spend time to sit with yourself. For many, this is the most difficult thing to do as when we gaze within ourselves, we may come in contact with all those feelings and emotions that hurt us. The solution lies in not validating those thoughts and emotions, but releasing it from your mind, body and spirit through meditation. As you gaze within yourself through meditation, accept yourself fully – your strengths and weaknesses and see yourself with kindness and compassion.
#2 Read your body signals
To connect within, while we give value to our emotions and feelings, our body plays an important role in making that connection effortless. Knowing about how your body’s energy flows through certain activities that involves moving your body will give you a better understanding of your body’s needs.
It is equally important to understand that this connection with your inner-self should not be forced upon your mind or your body. When you try to connect with your inner-self, it should make you feel free and unrestrained.
#3 Digital detox
As a practice, allocate at least 30 mins in a day and give yourself a complete digital detox by keeping your phones away, switching off TV and not even discussing about the current affairs of your country or the world – rather do something that you enjoy like listening to music, or playing with your pet if you have one, or doing a bit of gardening or even dancing or exercising.
As you disconnect yourself from the external distractions even if it’s for some time, you will notice feeling more energised and rejuvenated. All these activities help in increasing the happy hormones and lowering the stress hormones, which helps in establishing a deeper connect within.
#4 Journaling
When we have too many thoughts running in our mind, it can sometimes get overwhelming to manage our mind. Journaling is an extremely effective habit to restore you with strength and make you look at the same situation from the space of strength. Spend just a few minutes in the morning or evening by free-writing thoughts with an intent to let it all go.
Do not try to analyse or judge the thoughts, it should be a free expression of your thoughts that you should write. Let this be a complete intimate exercise that you do for yourself to release any feelings or emotions by writing it down.
A deep inner-self connection is sometimes all we need to keep us sound and healthy in this evolving world.
Today’s environment continues to drive human stress to enormous levels, while returning to the tranquility of inner self is a way forward says Ektaa Sibal.
