You can take off your mask
AUTHENTICITY
Risky business
No, not your face mask!
But the one you present to the world, in social media, groups of friends, at work and I daresay, to yourself.
It can feel risky to be your actual self let alone express it in this screen-obsessed image-conscious world; as a result, what you put out are presentations of who you think you should be instead of reflections of who you really are.
And wearing this mask can be exhausting in the long run, creating this low grade stress in your system that accumulates as chronic mental dis-ease and/or physical disease.
You know what, I've been there.
How to take off this mask?
A good start would be honouring your physical body.
Countless times I have seen clients who desire a weight or body shape by a certain amount of time, but their bodies disagree; resulting in injury, chronic pain, imbalanced hormones, poor body image, low confidence, feeling inadequate and deciding they're a failure when it comes to fitness and health.
Respecting your body is the first and easiest step to practicing authenticity.
1. Slow down and be still – Carve out daily quiet time to check in with your body, build up this hyper-awareness of your energy levels, digestion, muscle tension etc. Become attuned to your body’s rhythm.
2. Respect your body – when it needs to rest. How much sleep it requires. What time of the month it is. Yes daily movement/exercise is beneficial for health, yet some days you don’t feel like dropping a series of sun-salutations on your mat. That’s ok, take it easy. You’re not a bad person, you’re not wrong, you’re not a loser or failure.
3. Trust your body – that it knows best. A nutritious diet 24/7/365 is ideal, yet some days you reach for the salty processed snacks and help yourself to second servings of dessert. You’re not a failure, you’re not bad, so you don’t have to hide that act from anyone. And if you do, why?
Why self knowledge is crucial
Self knowledge is key to your authenticity.
A strong sense of who you are and what your rhythm and flows are will keep you from swaying towards what society and social media culture will have you thinking about yourself in order to buy into their ways or to purchase their products.
Plus, be prepared, that with increasing self-knowledge you will probably offend a lot of people, close ones too.
Repeat after me:
Authenticity is when the inner you matches the outer you.
Granted, not entirely possible in our crowded noisy world yet critical for your mental emotional physical and spiritual alignment.
So where do you float on this spectrum of being authentic and feeling a sense of belonging to society, others, family, the world?