When we are brave, we dare to look inward at the emotions and brain chatter we have going on. When we are brave, we stop and look at our behaviours and ask ourselves whether they are useful to us, to those around us, and to the environment we live in.
It can be hard to stop and look inward, to examine oneself, but if we are to truly show up fully in this life, and have the kind of impact we want to have, we must go there. Naturally when we do this, we’re going to come across some discomfort.
It’s hard to self reflect, we come up against our shadows. But, it is of course, the doorway through which we must travel in order to grow and change and gain more clarity than before. I’ve been through many periods of self exploratory sadness through my life and the one thing I know is that when I emerge out the other side of such periods, I feel more rounded as a human. I feel more whole. I feel almost closer to myself, maybe closer to my own heart once I am out the other side of a period of emotional turbulence.
I was reminded recently of this beautiful quote:
‘Then, when it seems we will never smile again, life comes back.’ Mark M Baldwin
And also:
‘Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.‘ Dr Brené Brown
Experiencing hard times internally is actually a normal, and necessary part of being human. It isn’t a sign of weakness or there being something wrong with us, it’s actually a process that leads us to more light.
These challenging times can be brutal, but I have personally found hope when I remember that we emerge with more insight, more power and more love than before.
If you’re struggling at all right now, we see you and we are here for you.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by Eugene Golovesov on Unsplash