Unlocking Internal Validation and Confidence In Being Seen
Written By - Rebecca Lemke
As we step into the fullness of summer in the northern hemisphere, isn’t it exciting to finally shed what feels like two winters worth of emotional and energetic baggage? At the same time, feelings of fear and uncertainty arise as the light of summer beckons this new growth to be witnessed.
Am I good enough? What will others think? Will I be received or misunderstood? Will I have the resources to maintain the energy this requires? What if this isn’t the right path for me? What if I fail?
The mind, with its naturally negative leaning bias, easily gets caught in a whirlwind of scenarios that could play out, and feelings of activation in the solar plexus region seem to say that the body confirms the validity of these fears. Maybe there is some truth to them, or maybe the body is actually saying something different.
This is exactly where I found myself earlier this week. By taking a moment to pause in the midst of this worry storm and focusing on my breath, I was able to find a calm space in my mind and tune in to the stirring in my gut, without the negative bias of my brain barging in.
The body has innate wisdom that is constantly working to get our attention and guide us back into relationship with our intuition. Primal needs, past traumas, and intuitive guidance are all stored and experienced through the body and the senses.
Unfortunately, the society we were born into does not have an appreciation for this wisdom and does not honor it. We have been taught to override our bodily sensations, put them on hold or ignore them altogether for the sake of sitting still through class, showing diligence and efficiency at work, even common courtesy can often drive us to put others' needs before our own.
We have been taught to not see our own bodies’ needs and wisdom, to hold in what is crying out to be seen, released, and expressed. It is no wonder we would experience fear and hesitation around putting ourselves out there to be seen by others.
When I took that pause to tune into my body’s sensations, I felt a buzzing, swirling tornado of emptiness that began working its way deeper into my body as I witnessed it. I was careful to stay grounded by feeling the connection of my feet to the earth and continuing to use my breath as a resource as I explored further.
In my mind’s eye, images began to appear of scenes from the past where my need to be seen was shut down. This often happened at the hands of caretakers and authority figures, but also by other family members, friends, acquaintances, and lovers. At first, I felt embarrassed as my cheeks turned hot and my body got the urge to cave in on itself. Then I felt grief.
These memories were all moments in time where something inside of me could have been born, and yet they were each met with rejection. I realized that because of early childhood programming, I had developed a pattern of letting that rejection get the best of me instead of standing in my truth and letting the world see my authentic self.
Keeping my feet plugged into the earth and my breath as my anchor, I allowed the sadness of these losses to wash over me. I let out big, deep sobs until I felt the calm after the storm and I held myself and said “it’s ok love, I see you”. This witnessing of myself produced a sense of internal validation, a feeling of confidence that no matter the outcome, I am worthy of being seen.
I took some deep, cleansing breaths, tuned into the sensation of groundedness, and checked back in with the solar plexus. I still sensed some activation here, but now instead of a buzzing storm, it was more reminiscent of butterflies in the tummy. Excitement!
Once the underlying energies that generate fear and doubt have been cleared, joy and excitement arise to be fully experienced. When the body expresses these good sensations, the negativity of the mind hushes and the voice of the intuition becomes more clear.
It requires a continuous conscious effort to bring the focus back into the body, to clear out energies that are no longer serving, and to tune into the frequency of intuition. This takes practice, but the result is the witnessing of the authentic self, blossoming like a flower in the summer sun.
There is inherent beauty and worth that is inextricably intertwined with your authenticity. What kind of magic is curled up inside of you waiting to blossom, ready to be expressed and witnessed? Is the fear of being seen holding you back from reaching your greatest potential?
Podcast episodes to go deeper on this topic:
This episode of the Earth Speak podcast where co-founder Natalie Ross channels messages from nature spirits and learns what Mother Earth has to say about being seen.
This episode, you’ll also hear transformational artist Ayesha Ophelia talk about how we’ve been conditioned to shut down our authentic, creative flow and what she is doing to reclaim her time and her body.