Taking Space
There are times in life that taking space allows you to truly appreciate things. It’s been about a month or so since I have written and in that time I’ve grown to truly miss this part of my day. I needed time for myself to decompress and fall back in love with the process especially during a time that had a lot going on for me. Transitioning from the gym to my new space, from my solo practice to now having a team, to changing the name, I needed time to just enjoy it. The ups, the downs and now, after feeling settled enough I can re-ignite my passion for writing. So what does it mean to take space? To separate yourself from something in order to allow your mental state to not become clouded or resentful?
Taking space is a matter of separating your emotional state from current affairs. For instance during my hiatus I needed to feel everything without eyes watching. I needed time for myself to be alone with the death of my old persona and enter a new state of being. In order for me to transition I needed to find my limiting beliefs about who I was now that I was CEO, find the courage and magic to step into the role and the voice to hear myself roar. Sure a month may not be nearly enough time for these things, but it did allow me to sort it out and figure out the next steps so that I can work on or towards these things.
This may come up for you and it may be in regards to people, places, things, career, etc. and just know it’s okay if you need to separate yourself. Taking care of your mental state is the first and highest priority. If you aren’t right with you how on earth can you be right with the external environment. Everything first comes from you, your motivation, your discipline, your courage, your ability to persevere, your charisma, it all boils down to you. And the thing about any of these things, is you must exercise that particular muscle in order to make it bigger. That may involve you working on your own demons, dealing with past traumas, handling the shadow self that we have for a long time been told to hide. Taking space is a way to give yourself time for the change you wish to be, and sometimes after the change the space may become permanent. Life is seasons, sometimes things remain, sometimes things last for a minute, and sometimes they ebb and flow like a wave.
So what are some ways that you can take space? For me I wanted to start writing less for a little bit because I needed time. That was enough for me to know that the burn out I was feeling was stifling my creativity and that in turn was making me more frustrated with myself. Having the self awareness to recognize when you are facing burnout, feelings of resentment or frustration or creative blocks allows you to take the space you need in order to recharge. This would be the first step in order to determine if this is what you need, or identify if it’s something else entirely. Once you can truly say that it’s a matter of space then it’s time to find ways that will allow you to do so. This may be separation from whatever it is you are needing space from, or maybe it’s limiting time to it. It could possibly be putting it on a schedule and addressing it only at that specific time. There is no wrong way to take space, that is why identifying what is best for you and the situation is a good thing to do.
You know yourself better than you think. You know your likes and dislikes and how you handle things. So use that as your compass in determining how you handle your space. Also know that taking space may not always be the same for everything, it could be different for every circumstance. That’s the thing about life, there is no blue print plan that follows a distinct path, it twists, turns, and sends you down ways you never knew existed. If you are having trouble perhaps ask your internal guidance system and trust that gut instinct or ask a friend or family member if you are having a hard time. Talk out loud to yourself (I do this regularly, it helps me sort out my feelings and let go.) find a therapist, do whatever you need to do to sort it out. There are no wrong answers.
There is also no time frames on anything. I didn’t know when or if I would write again until today. During my sweat session in my sauna blanket I realized how much I had missed writing and the creating process. I had finally seen that space closing in and felt good about it. So know that when you take space you may not follow a specific time frame, you may take longer or shorter. You will arrive precisely when you mean to. So just enjoy the journey and let it unfold when things are right. That is what this time gave me, that everything works out when its ready to. Rushing things into existence only creates anxiety and self doubt. So enjoy things as they come, enjoy your time and enjoy the space. It’s there for you to rebuild yourself and break apart things that no longer were working for you. I hope you have been well my friends. Let’s chat again soon!
Today started at a 6 but ended as a 10!