In the quiet moments alone it's easy to create new intentions. The ideas for big projects and life altering daily habits are conceived and we begin dreaming our future selves into existence. But the shadow of a daring vision can be the fear of actually achieving it: of stepping outside our patterns and coming closer to our full potential.
Once the smell of fear is near, our mind can become an excellent self-sabotage artist. Meticulous in its ability to work its magic in our subconscious, while we blindly believe we are still working towards our goals, or living our new ways of being. So how can we learn to feel our fears, dance with them and keep doing our thing anyway?
Be clear on your intention
The intention for your meditation practice, new habits, rituals or ways of living can become the centre point for you to return and hold on to in times of self doubt. Becoming clear on your intention, the big 'why' for any change you are making is essential. Whenever the voice of self doubt, the precursor to self sabotage, questions your self worth, you can return to your intention to guide you through. Using your Silatha crystal to witness and protect your intention can be a powerful ritual to bring your intention to life.
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway
Giving space to emotions we deem negative is the first step in moving beyond them. No matter how experienced you are in your meditation practice, you cannot outrun the human condition. If we can create a safe space to lean into these fears, anxieties and doubts, we can hear them out, feel them out and move through them to come back to our centre where the truth of our intention lies.
To create a safe space for this, set aside an amount of time, 10 minutes to an hour, to go into whatever emotions you are feeling through movement, journaling, or simply sitting in meditation. The time is set aside so that you may open and close this practice, which acts as a container for these feelings. End the practice by returning to your intention in your centre, so you can continue to move forward from here.
Self Sabotage and Meditation
We often begin a meditation practice because we need it. So what happens when the mind becomes clearer and we've had a taste of the inner peace dwelling within - the need that got us to meditate in the first place disappears. When things are going well, it can be easy to stop meditating. But when life starts to get a little messy, we turn back to meditation, maybe with a side plate of guilt or regret for turning away in the first place.
This is self sabotage in action. Having insight and knowledge is second only to practice and it is an important act of self love to continue to nourish our body, mind and spirit when things are going well, not only when the scale has tipped to 'bad'.
Radical Honesty
The best way to keep ourselves in check is with radical honesty. We have a tendency to lie to ourselves and others everyday. Little lies, white lies, that build up into bad habits, repeated for months, which has the potential to turn into a life that does not reflect our highest vision of ourselves.
To keep yourself in check, write in your journal (link to Silatha Journal) and periodically read back over your entries. You may discover where the voice of self doubt lies within, and where you may be sabotaging your own efforts through your daily activities.
Through your daily meditation practice, giving yourself space and holding fast to your intention in your heart, you can move with grace towards your best life, keeping the voice of fear at bay with love.
