Addressing Your Shadows

Yesterday, we began addressing the process of shadow work. We ended with a prompt that read, “What are some shadows you feel within you?”

Addressing your shadows, the traumas, beliefs, memories, opinions, desires that you constantly bury and hide is pivotal in your healing and your greater journey towards fulfillment. Shadows are heavy and sticky, they will weigh and trap you if you continue avoiding them. 

How do you address your shadows? It is different to everybody and if you do feel like you have a hard time identifying your’s, there are tons of journals, meditations, and prompts that can help shed light on them. 

That being said, I typically can identify mine by how I FEEL when I question them or confronted by them. For example, if a memory gives me a stomachache or a lump in my throat, there is something there. Or, if someone says something about me and I feel triggered or defensive, that indicates something more buried. 

I actually have a good example playing out right now. On my TikTok, I made a video about how I used to wait for change but now I understand I have to put effort into change. Seemed simple and safe enough to post, right? Nope. Someone decided to comment something negative and presumptuous and I immediately felt anxious, resentful, and defensive. I also noticed how I so badly wanted to someone to come save me, like I wanted people to defend me. 

Aha, there it is. Not only do I clearly have a shadow of how people perceive me, but I also have a shadow in that I feel like I need to be saved from confrontation. 

Now, time to uncover where all that comes from. But, we will wait until tomorrow to dive into that part.

I had to acknowledge it. I acknowledged that the comment affected me. I identified the feelings it made me feel. And I even noticed what coping mechanism I subconsciously wanted (someone to swoop in and “save me”). 

Watch yourself mindfully for a day. Notice the things that make you feel bad, resentful, ashamed, anxious. Even the internal things like your own thoughts. Consider the feelings they give you. Identify what your body craves in aversion to it. And write it down. 

Tomorrow, we will dissect them. 

- Dani 💚💙