Hello and welcome.
Often I speak a lot about shadow work and my own healing journey when I'm here on Insight Timer doing a live event and one of the things I am most often asked is how,
Where or what did I start with for my own healing?
And honestly the very first thing I did was make the decision that enough was enough and that I needed to step up and help myself.
And once I chose myself it was just a matter of finding ways to delve deep within for my own healing.
Now one of the best things I ever did in the beginning was mirror work.
So what exactly is mirror work?
Some people think it's just staring at yourself in the mirror or repeating affirmations and look on the surface it is basically staring at yourself in the mirror but for me it was a way of reconnecting with my inner light,
My essence,
My soul,
A connection that I had long ago lost.
I'd forgotten who I was because I was just too busy caught up and dwelling on my own stories.
I was too busy playing the victim and I was constantly worried that I just wasn't enough.
After doing this exercise for 10 days I can honestly say that it changed my life and it might have been one of the best but also hardest healing tools I ever used.
I won't lie the first three or four days I wanted to give up.
I didn't think I'd be able to do it.
This activity asks a lot of you and it will make you second guess the benefit of it.
But trust me if you're ready to heal and you're ready to step up for yourself and you stick with it and allow the process to do its magic you'll be surprised because once you lean into that uncomfortable you'll realize just how strong and capable you truly are and once you've reconnected with your own essence you realize that that is your superpower.
Once you bridge that gap and feel the power of self-love and knowing who you truly are even the warts and all the judgments and opinions of others can no longer affect you because you know your truth.
We then learn to respond to the projections of others instead of reacting to our triggers which come from our traumas.
Once you embrace your superpower truly and authentically you will not let anyone take it from you ever again.
So what exactly is the process I hear you say?
In its simplicity you are going to stare into your own eyes in the mirror for two minutes in silence.
No repeating affirmations just stare in silence.
Side note affirmations are great if you truly believe them but for this style of mirror work they actually become a distraction.
We want silence so that you can reconnect with the parts of yourself that you've forgotten about and that comes with silence.
So for some the sound of this simple task has already set off their anxiety.
Trust me I was the same.
Being alone with our thoughts is a really tough place to be when you're already struggling but this activity is a real testament to my motto which is choose you because it makes us step up for ourselves.
It makes us take a long hard look at our own part that we play in our struggles.
It makes us realise that we are not our stories,
We are not just our emotions but we are what we choose to dwell on.
So it makes us face the facts.
Are we playing victim?
Are we wallowing in a story?
Are we stuck in survival mode?
Or are we projecting?
And it gives us this amazing opportunity to say enough is enough.
I am ready to grow,
To evolve and to release what doesn't serve me.
So if this sounds like something that you want to try stick around because I am going to be there with you energetically holding your hand as you complete day one of your own mirror work journey.
But before we start please know that you will be met with resistance and most likely some not very nice thoughts but that is normal because that's just your reptile brain trying to keep you safe.
Unfortunately the only safety that our reptile brain knows is the safety of the same because even though you are not truly,
Deeply,
Authentically happy it's a known quantity and our reptile brain would rather the known quantity even if it's unhappy just to stay safe because the opposite is new and unknown and that is deemed dangerous.
It doesn't make sense but that's how our reptile brain works.
But remember if nothing changes,
Nothing changes.
So if you are ready together let's go to a mirror.
Stand as comfortably as you possibly can but for the moment just close your eyes.
Just notice any physical strains that you have in your body.
Are your shoulders tensed?
Is your jaw clenched?
Just take a deep breath placing both your hands over your heart.
I just want you to repeat to yourself a couple of times I am safe,
I am safe.
Just as much as you can allow some of that tension to release even just a little bit I am safe.
Now when you're ready I want you to open your eyes,
Make eye contact with yourself and just hold your own gaze.
You will be met with random thoughts,
With resistance and that's okay.
Just allow the thoughts to come and go as best you can.
The main goal here is to hold that gaze,
Hold that eye contact.
Two minutes is both a really long but also a really short time.
But guess what?
You are already about a third of the way through this two minutes.
You've got this.
You can do it.
In this last part I'm going to leave you to complete the rest of it in silence.
I will return at the end.
Just know that I am here with you as moral support.
You did it.
Now that the time is up I invite you to grab your journal and write down about that experience.
You may just want to do some bullet point notes noting down how the process made you feel,
The types of thoughts that you had.
Did you cry?
Did you make it the full two minutes?
So this is your opportunity to be honest with yourself because it's up to you to step up and decide.
Can I lean into this process?
Can I give myself permission to be uncomfortable for two minutes every day so that I can choose me,
So I can choose to work on my healing?
Because healing works when we are honest with ourselves,
When we step up and show up consistently for ourselves.
We can go through life convincing other people that we are fine and hide and mask ourselves but we cannot hide from our own inner workings.
So I highly recommend doing this activity every day.
Two minutes every day for 10 days and then journal about it afterwards even if it's just a brief description.
Give yourself the chance to explore what's come up because there will be insights that you can learn from.
There might be tears,
Struggles and resistance but remember no one is coming to do it for you.
No one is coming to save you.
It is up to you.
So are you going to choose you?
Are you ready to become your own champion,
Your own cheerleader,
Your own guru?
Because all the answers,
Love and support that you will ever need to create that strong foundation of self-love,
Self-awareness and to live authentically,
It's right there within you.
Your soul is waiting to reconnect with you.
So what are you waiting for?
It's time for you to choose you.
Thank you for listening,
Sending love and healing to everybody on their own shadow work journey.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Bye for now.
