How do you express yourself? Many of us who were “raised right” think that it’s polite to keep quiet or that being liked is more important than being heard.
I think these days, that’s even trickier because we’re always hearing a lot from people who over-share — whether face-to-face or on social media. People who “express their truth” all the time can be challenging.
This week, we’ll try to find that balance.
“Find Your Voice” Activities
Journal Prompt
Have you ever had the perfect comeback … right after you left a difficult conversation? Or wish you’d thought to let someone you really admired know how much you admired them before they were no longer a part of your life?
Your First Journal Entry this week should consider the things you wished you said. That time when you walked away and two minutes later had the perfect come-back/retort. Why did you hold yourself back? Was it because you wanted to be liked? Or maybe the thing you wanted to say was truly cruel or anger-fueled? This is your safe space, so let it all out! OPTION: If you have a hard time thinking of real situations, feel free to invent some! What’s a kind of situation you find difficult?
Subsequent Entries
- This week’s entries can become brainstorming sessions:
- What’s important to you that you wish you had a way to express?
- Do you dream of addressing throngs of people at a major event?
- Do you wish that you and one “difficult” person could sit down and have an honest and easy conversation about difficult things?
- Sometimes we self-censor because we don’t think our opinion is welcome or valid. Sometimes we are told to “stay in our place” by others. In your ten minutes, investigate the first of these instances that comes to mind. Avoid justifying the reasons why you “should” have been silent and focus your attention more on what you wish you could have said and why, perhaps, you felt stifled.
- When you do hold back, how does that manifest? This one is a little trickier for me, personally, but if you sit with the question, I bet you’ll get an answer. Perhaps call to mind a challenging/difficult time in your life. No need to focus on the pain of the situation, but try to recall how you felt and performed in other ways. One friend told me that right after she had a baby, she “felt fine,” but could see in hindsight that she was exhausted and said/did some things she later regretted — all while feeling the need to be a “perfect,” un-complaining new mother. Another developed an ulcer and didn’t really put together until much later that it was probably directly related to the stress of a family member’s illness for which he “had to be strong.”
If you have completed the journal prompts above, then simply let yourself write for ten minutes without any rules or restrictions. Consider the prompts, your previous journal entries this week, and just let your pen go!
Yoga Flow
Many thanks to The Mercedes Club, Hell’s Kitchen, NY, for letting me record these yoga flows in their gorgeous yoga studio.
Meditation
If you prefer to meditate on your own, unguided: Become aware of the connection between the experience of your breath in your body and at the base of your throat.
This program is presented by James Donegan / JDFitNYC and has no relationship with Equinox, Mercedes Club or any other facility where Mr. Donegan is employed. Any one participating in a physical activity, especially those who may be pregant or nursing, should consult a physician before beginning a physical exercise program.
Nothing that appears in this blog or on this website is intended to treat or diagnose any disorder, physical or otherwise. Always consult a physician before beginning any exercise program.