Even the softest, sweetest flowers have boundaries.
Boundaries are necessary for growth.
When your boundaries are healthy, you will:
– Be able to ‘hear’ what your needs and desires are moment by moment and make decisions that honour those needs and desires
– Feel how you are feeling, not just how everyone around you (or in the collective) is feeling
– Have more time, space and permission to do the things that bring you joy (including being with others)
– Feel filled up with your own energy in a positive way that gives you true self confidence
Your inner winter (menstruation) is a metaphorical death. It’s as if you take off your outer shell and temporarily return to your true essence. In this state of innocence you are able to feel your unique vibration and your unique calling. You strengthen your connection to your true Self.
One of your springtime superpowers is tenderness, for in being tender we learn (or rather, re-learn with each cycle) what it means to find our inner resilience and call it forth.
The expectations of others and the weight of the world can feel absolutely crushing in your inner spring tenderness if you forget to honour your boundaries.
Here are 3 practices that I am working on right now to keep my boundaries in check:
1 Start each day with time and space to check in with yourself. The world responds more gracefully to people who understand themselves.
First, you have to actually know where your boundaries lie, and that takes some self-awareness. Ask your body how she is feeling, your mind and your heart. Note which day you are on in your menstrual cycle and honour the energies present in your wombspace. This simple 5-10 min daily check in could be just what you need to set the tone for your day – one that feels authentic and supportive for you.
2 Let go of ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots.’
When you find yourself thinking you should or should not do something, you are probably crossing your own boundaries. We don’t do anyone any favours when we act out of obligation.
3 Remember, it’s not about protecting yourself from harmful energies. It’s about staying in your own unique essence.
When you start honouring your own boundaries it can stir up some resistance within you or in your relationships with others. Keep in mind that it’s not about ‘you vs. them,’ but about you respecting you. People aren’t out to get you, and they probably don’t mean to disrespect your boundaries, so there’s no need to create borders that keep them locked out. The stronger you are in your commitment to yourself, the easier it will become to stand in your truth with compassion and love (like a flower :)).
In your inner springtime, your precious self is just starting to grow again after the death of menstruation. It may take some time to flex your confidence muscles. But, if you commit to honouring your boundaries in the ways that feel authentic to you, you will surely discover your inner resource for resilience and grow stronger within yourself each day.
Full permission to mess up, fall down and wobble along the way.
All my Love,
Jaylyn