Tag: joy

Belonging Confidence Tribe Belonging • feeling good • Happiness • joy • love • miracles • strength January 9, 2023 By Christina De Valencia 0 Comments

Pay Attention To The Way You Feel

The way you are treated is more important than how much you like them (although that will come).

We’ve all experienced feeling small around certain people. Not good enough. Flawed. Insecure. Those people may even have been our parents. Or someone at work, people in our social circle, maybe our sibling.

We feel constricted, not freely flowing from our hearts. Somewhat nervous, wanting to do the “right” thing, say the “right” thing. We may not even notice what’s happening until later, we’re so caught up in wanting to measure up, make the right impression. Wanting to be liked, desperate to be loved.

Sometimes, depending on the person we’re with, we don’t know what to say. Our minds go blank. We say something stupid or talk too much.

Nothing about those interactions or relationships bring out the best in us. They don’t allow us to grow. We only defend ourselves, we hide, we pretend, we play small or brag too much.

This isn’t about surrounding ourselves with people who kiss our ass or are pretentious. It isn’t about playing nice, not being straight with each other. We all have things we need to learn, pay attention to and change.

This is deeper. It’s on a soul level. It’s the recognition of someone speaking your language, of someone from your tribe. It’s about being genuine and honest with each other. It’s about wanting to know the other person deeply. Without judgment. Without criticism.

It’s about growing. Becoming the best version of ourselves.

Our lives move so quickly. Everything passes in a heartbeat. We don’t have time to waste time with people who make us feel wrong or small. Nothing good comes from that.

However, it’s unrealistic to think we can avoid them altogether. We all have to find a way to live together. We all have to deal with uncomfortable situations, painful interactions and hurtful people.

But we have to choose carefully those with whom we want to spend our time. We must be very discerning about the people we invite into our lives!

None of this is easy. Most of us have deep insecurities and often feel that we need to accept what we are given.

My early life was full of criticism. I felt like nothing about me was good enough. My parents were sure to let me know every day. I now know they only wanted good things for me and didn’t know how to keep me safe and make me feel loved. I have nothing but compassion for them now. Their childhood was worse than mine and they did their best.

But it left me totally insecure and confused about life. I felt like everyone knew more, and even worse, knew better than me. I looked out through my eyes, like a window, and felt disconnected, unworthy and alone. I had no trust in myself, my feelings and instincts. I was full of conflicts and chaos. I didn’t feel like I deserved good treatment. I actually had no idea that there were people who could make me feel good or even just sort of ok.

I chose people who made me feel as small, confused, and chaotic as my family. It felt familiar. I was used to it and I attracted more of it into my life.

I thought that this was how life was supposed to be. My nervous system knew the drill. I was accustomed to it.

This is why we humans stay in abusive relationships: our nervous system recognizes the feelings, the patterns. It activates our adrenaline, we feel alive. Miserable and in pain, but alive.

Here’s the amazing, miraculous thing though: our soul or higher self knows better. Our spirit deeply longs for recognition. It knows this isn’t how life should be.

If we’re willing to be still, even just sometimes, if we’re willing to listen, we can connect to that deep inner knowing.

You won’t connect to it if you keep filling your life with busyness, drugs, alcohol, sex or whatever you dream up.

Be still and learn to trust. Be willing to grow as a human being.

With time this knowing grows. You become stronger and you begin to choose people who bring goodness into your life. That is when miracles show up. That is when life becomes good in the most sacred, deep, fulfilling, and crazy way.

This works for all of us. You only need to be willing. And never give up!

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Mindfulness being loving • being present • joy • mindfulness • mindfulness and self compassion • mindfulness meditation • mindfulness practice • Self-improvement May 27, 2017 By Christina de Valencia 0 Comments

Is This the Most Loving Thing?

What if we started asking ourselves periodically throughout our day “Does that feel like the most loving thing for myself?”

What if we started to ask ourselves that question every time we make choices and decisions, big or little? Would it change things?

Would we do things differently? Would our lives be different?

Doing the most loving thing doesn’t mean doing the easy or most comfortable thing. It means becoming present to ourselves, tuning in, to see what the best choice is, the most loving choice in any particular circumstance.

We all have that quiet inner voice that tells us what is right for us whether it’s a big decision or a small one.

Is drinking that cup of coffee the most loving thing for my body right now?
Is continuing to work in that environment the most loving thing for me or should I look for another job?
Is staying with that man or woman (even though he/she has lied to me) the most loving thing for me?

It may be the most loving thing to stay.

The thing is, it’s not about blanket judgments, but about learning what is best for YOU.

Each of us has a unique path on this earthly journey. Your way is probably not your neighbor’s way. Your friend’s choices are probably not the right ones for you.

Here’s an example:

Carol, a strong, independent career woman, found out that her husband was cheating. She had proof, but he continued to deny it.

Carol went into a tail spin, crying, despairing, cursing……she looked for solace in their teenage daughter, sharing details that were way too intimate. Her work suffered, she neglected herself and her friendships. She felt destroyed. She planned to leave him.

Her daughter finally told her to stop feeling sorry for herself and make a decision. (Something a teenage daughter probably would say)

Hearing this from her 16 year old daughter stopped her in her tracks. In a moment of clarity she saw the truth in this and re-connected with her Self. Factual, realistic and calm, she made the decision to stay…… it seemed right to her.

Finding their way back together was rough. She had to make the choice daily, hourly sometimes, but she knew she was on the right path. Slowly, through their shared interests and focusing on the good things between them the wounds began to heal.

Now, 10 years later, she is again that strong, clear-headed woman. She has lots of friends and is involved in many activities. Her relationship has evolved and is easy going with plenty of laughter.

For Carol it was the right decision to stay, even though she didn’t get closure because her husband never acknowledged the pain he caused. She listened to her inner guidance.

It’s a different story for Hannah:

Hannah was initially completely charmed by her husband’s ability to have incredible philosophical conversations. They practiced yoga and meditated together. Being quite the intellectual and very spiritual, this kept her interested and fulfilled for a long time.

She didn’t notice his unbelievable selfishness for years; that he never really helped, nor supported her endeavors. How he made her pay for everything, while he kept his money for things he wanted. How he went away to be with other women and said he couldn’t answer her calls because he didn’t have good phone reception.

When she finally began to see him for who he is – it was a very slow process – she became overwhelmed with the mess her life had become and was filled with despair. She beat herself up for not seeing it sooner. She wanted him to leave.

After agonizingly painful months, she chose to stay. She didn’t see a way out for herself. She told herself that he needed her and couldn’t make it on his own.

Today, although still together, they barely speak; she has lost all her inspiration and ambition. He hasn’t changed. They are simply co-existing.

Can you see why Carol’s decision was loving and Hannah’s was not?

Carol made the decision from her center, her strength; she listened to that still small voice. Hannah, on the other hand, was unable to connect with her Self, she was afraid to listen to that voice and chose from fear.

Those are major decisions in our lives.

But every day here are a million smaller decisions to tune into to learn which choice is the most loving for ourselves.

Don’t ever feel guilty about taking care of yourself. There’s a difference between honoring your path and being selfish.

If you don’t honor yourself, you may find you have nothing left to give, to yourself or others.

When we pay attention, we notice that all day long we are being guided by that little small voice. It may be difficult to hear at first, it’s very gentle and soft, never demanding.

The more we acknowledge it, however, the easier it is to hear. It is our loving inner guide that wants to support and help us on our journey.

We may feel tired and want to skip the workout, but something within urges us to do it anyway.

Sometimes we feel a nudge to make conversation with that stranger next to us, but we don’t. That very conversation may bring the answer to something we’ve been wrestling with for weeks.

Or we feel stressed over a situation and keep doing, doing, doing to try and fix it – when the most loving thing is to just take a break and do something enjoyable.

The more we can tune into ourselves, become mindful of this available guidance within us, the more we hear it. We are developing mindful self compassion. The kinder (instead of harsh and critical) we treat our soul in this physical body the smoother life becomes.

The more we learn to listen to our unique voice, the less we judge others. Our compassion and understanding grows. We develop clearer boundaries in our lives. We learn to trust and find peace, because we discover that all is well.

To learn to find your inner voice, contact me