When We Are Lost In The Woods

There are times in life when we may feel lost. Times when it seems as though despite our best efforts we still do not feel the aliveness, vitality, and connection that we desire. Those times when it feels as though we are taking 2 steps forward, 3 steps backwards on repeat.

These are those moments when embracing our imperfect human path and meeting ourselves exactly where we are is essential.

As a human we are gifted with ample opportunity through our life experiences to learn and grow and heal. There will always be twists and turns and a magnitude of speed bumps in our human experience. It is how we respond to the varying landscape of our situations in life that determine our state of being.

It is in the woods of life that we discover our strengths.

It truly is a choice as to how we meet ourselves in midst of these elements and one we do have to make over and over again. Infusing our lives with intentional self-awareness and an overarching sense of compassion and kindness for ourselves are essential ingredients when meeting any life challenge.

I recently felt as though I was lost in the woods of my life. I have learned at this juncture of my healing path that these times happen and that they will pass and usually quickly.

This one, however, lingered. I was dragging myself out of bed every morning to sit on my cushion praying that each morning when my alarm would go off that I would feel a shift – my connection to my heart renewed and my energy returned. This would not be the case and I would meander through these days feeling flat, uninspired, and searching for something, anything, to spark my life force back into action.

This went on for the better part of 2 weeks. 2. Long. Weeks.

But, I kept on trucking along. I did not pull the covers over my head (although I certainly wanted to!). I met myself where I was – limited my output, got into bed exceptionally early, tried the best I could to just take care of myself, and continuously prayed that it would shift…that the funk would lift.

And, guess what? It did.

And when it did I felt incredibly altered. I could recognize the magnitude of what my system had just gone through and I had a newfound appreciation for feeling energetic and overall good.

It is just that way on this human path.

Anytime we go through something hard – something that hurts our hearts and hammers our souls – we can and do emerge. The possibility is alive that we can do so altered, stronger, and more upright in ourselves.

I offer you some tactics for meeting yourself in that space when you feel lost in the woods of life:

• Perspective: Give yourself opportunities to step out of the tunnel vision and remember the bigger picture. Time spent in nature, long walks, a drive, an overnight out of town....anything that feels supportive for you to feel even a glimmer of possibility of things shifting and an appreciation for your life exactly as it is.

• Breathe: Taking deep breaths in through your nose, filling your belly, and exhaling out the mouth. Encouraging the exhale to lengthen. Breathing in lovingkindness, compassion, and trust in our innate capacity as a human to shift.

• Create Space to Settle: Carving out the time and space in life to allow your system to relax, inviting in openness, softness, and spaciousness. When in doubt, a hot bath does wonders for the entire system!

• Limit Your Output: Limiting your interactions virtually and in-person is highly supportive in navigating these darker times. Do what you need to stay employed, feed your children, and keep your household functioning. Limit social media, surfing the web, emailing, and texting as much as humanely possible. Remember, this is only temporary.

• Embrace: Carl Jung reminds us that, “What you resist not only persists, but will grown in size”. The more that we can embrace and surrender during the darker times of feeling lost, the more possibilities open up of moving towards that light. Honor where you are and hold yourself close as you navigate these times. Feel your feelings…let them be what they are…let them flow and remember....This too, shall pass.

May this message be a gentle reminder that we can let life experiences break us, shut us down, and turn us bitter and negative, or we can invite them into the caverns of our hearts and allow them to open us up to a whole new experience of living and being and loving and feeling.

A whole new world of navigating our beautiful selves through the detours, crevices, and ravines of that path through the woods that is a human life.