Your Inner Voice
One of the things that this lockdown and new way of life has done, is to remove all the external “chatter” of everyday life.
Those external voices that have been there since we were little (whether we're aware of it or not): guiding us on what’s right/wrong; teaching us what makes us lovable; showing us how to be 'enough'; shaping us to fit-in; telling us what or how we need to be, so that we can be acceptable.
The lockdown can take away almost all of those voices; there’s no-one in our bubble to judge us and give us that constant feedback we get in real life, on whether or not we are being the ‘right’ version of ourselves, that the world tells us we need to be.
No-one to tell us that there’s something wrong with us because we’re:
- spending every day in our track pants;
- feeding ourselves and our families too much/little ;
- binge-watching tv/spending too much time on social media;
- not being productive enough;
- not doing enough with our kids or doing too much with the kids.
That can be so liberating and wonderful!
But it can also be scary.
Because for many of us, when you take away the external voices … there is a silence that’s left. A silence that’s amplified by the complete lack of the external distractions of everyday life: the running-around, the responsibilities, the exhaustion, the stress, the to-do list, the ‘busy-ness’…
And in that silence, it becomes very difficult to ignore your “inner voice” – the one that has always been there but has been drowned-out by the chatter of everyday life.
Maybe you’re already familiar with your inner voice … maybe you’ve heard it at 2am when you can’t sleep. Or when you feel a bit low. When you’re restless and frustrated.
It’s that voice that whispers:
- Is this it? This isn’t right, this isn’t enough; there must be more to life than this. I thought it would be better than this.
- I’m tired of living a life of just ticking all the right boxes; of being a zombie going through the same motions every single day… I yearn for MORE.
- I don’t want to be the ‘good’ wife/the ‘good’ mum/the ‘good employee’ ONLY: I want to be free to be ME too!
- I’m longing to live a life doing the things I want to do – that make me feel ALIVE again!
It’s that voice that tells you that you used to be someone else, before the world told you who you needed to be … and then asks you: “Do you even remember her?”
Can you hear it? As you go about your day spending time with your loved ones; looking after them; as you continue to do your work and live your life. Can you hear the voice that’s saying: “I love them and yet I want more”.
What will you do if you hear that voice in the silence? Will you listen to it or try your best to silence it?
You can choose to honour it by:
- acknowledging that it exists,
- allowing yourself to hear what its saying.
You don’t have to take any ACTION beyond that, if you don’t want to.
But how do you acknowledge and listen to your inner voice?
By creating some undisturbed time and space to become aware of your thoughts. You could go for walks on your own without any distractions; you could practise yoga or meditation.
You could write in a journal/book every morning as soon as you get up, or every evening when you go to bed. If you’re new to the idea of journaling, you can google some tips on how to get started – or contact me and I will be happy to support you.
Maybe its time to get into the practise of becoming clearer on who you are and what you want – because awareness is always the first step.
This lockdown is a rare opportunity to hear your own voice, instead of continuing a lifetime's practise of silencing it. You may never get this opportunity again after the external chatter of the world is allowed back into your life. What will you choose?
Let me know your thoughts: [email protected]
Loshni Manikam