Freedom, a word which is quite often underrated can quite possibly be the key to alot of breakthroughs! Freedom comes in many different forms and fashions, however understanding freedom and what it means to feel free is elite in itself. It is the power to think, act, feel how one wants without restraint. When searching deep within oneself, it’s important to factor in the term freedom. What does it mean? How do I feel about it? Have I ever known what freedom feels like? Then its important to ask yourself… Well do I feel free? What holds me back? What weighs on my shoulders and drags me down? What would it feel like if I were to be free from it? To unlock the chains that drag you down or hold you back?
The first step to finding freedom, would be to understand freedom. The feeling, the emotion, it’s symbolism, what aspects of your life you feel freedom and where you may lack it. Just like happiness and joy, freedom plays a huge role in finding meaning to life, in feeling uplifted and full of energy!
Some, I would call the worriers who worry themselves away into an endless loop of what if’s, doubts and maybe not’s. I know this cycle all too well and it’s easy to fall into this trap where thoughts take over and simultaneously have your emotions follow in its footsteps. Feeling fear, worry, doubt and maybe shame. How do you break the cycle? How do you break these chains that hold you back emotionally? I would say, it would be the art of finding freedom. Freedom from your thoughts, freedom from your emotions, just freedom in all that you do. One could say it is the freedom from identifying with the thoughts running through our minds or emotions flowing through our bodies that do not serve our highest good. It is more than a mindset, it is a lifestyle. To not only think freely, but to feel free and act with freedom. To have every action of your governed by love and freedom rather than fear or worry.
Growing up and living through our lives, we all experience a range of different experiences and situations. Some good, some bad and some absolutely beautiful. Whatever they may be, they all shape us. It is however our choice of how these situations mould us. Do we want them to hold us back? Or do we want to learn from them. To grow and expand and shine brighter than ever before because of them. From all of our experiences, it is only natural for us to from our own beliefs and perceptions about ourselves and the world around us. Some of these beliefs can be quite debilitating to our mental state. For example the “I’m not good enough” “What if I get rejected?” “Am I competent?” “I’d rather not because I’m scared…”. These are a few beliefs that limit us from reaching our full potential, from finding freedom.
The key to freeing ourselves is to become aware of these beliefs that we hold, to dig deep within ourselves, to figure out which emotions are triggered by which beliefs that we hold and whether they are serving our highest good or not. To ask yourself what kind of situations trigger these beliefs and how can I rewrite them to help change my perspective to a more positive and uplifting one. Essentially how can I free myself from the beliefs I hold that weigh me down?
Sometimes emotional baggage can be rough. It plays such a huge role in how we live our lives, the decisions that we make, and the path that we take. It is up to us to find the courage and confidence in our ability to be able to heal our emotions, to come to terms with our past and to learn that just because you experienced whatever you did in the past, does not mean it needs to influence your present OR your future. That is where you have the definitive choice. To either stay stuck in your past beliefs, experiences, feelings etc OR to free yourself from all that holds you back. From all that weighs on you.
For some of us, the courage to step out of our comfort zone can be quite a task. Even if our comfort zone may be a constant state of worry… or the inability to take beautiful risks. What if breaking out of your comfort zone means finding your freedom? What if it means finally freeing yourself from fear, from guilt, from shame, from self-criticism and from doubt and longing. Freedom can be a beautiful thing. If only more of us had the courage to strive for it. I certainly am trying and believe me, sometimes I feel it is the key to true happiness and abundance.
Freedom could even look like freedom from judgement, for example free from judging others but also from the judgement of others. In other words, this sort of freedom comes with a deep acceptance of oneself. Sort of saying “I completely love and accept myself” so whatever anyone else thinks of me is inconsequential. And of course when you love and accept yourself, it is a tiny bit easier to love and accept others for their truth and authenticity.
Let’s talk about freedom in relationships. To free yourself from the ever creeping toxicities that sometimes arise creating a rather unhealthy relationship. Freedom from jealousy, control and clinging are just a few. The real freedom comes from trust, compromise, communication, loyalty, compassion. The list goes on. To be free in a relationship is to be your authentic self, to live an authentic life and as a bonus, to have the addition of someone to share your life with. So that they do not take away from you, yet you do not take away from them. The idea that you do not need each other to exist, rather you want and chose to be with each other. I find a sort of beauty in that. It feels uplifting and nourishing rather than stifling and lacking.
Finding freedom from your inner critic is a important too. We all have that one voice in our heads telling us off, or shouting at us for what we did or didn’t do. For our regrets, for what we feel shameful for. It can be hard to live with that kind of inner roommate. The first step in this case is to acknowledge that you are not alone. This is a common issue, and so many are governed by this inner critic. But why? If only we could adopt a kinder, more nurturing and compassionate voice. One that offers forgiveness for our mistakes and offer understanding for our shortcomings. Finding freedom from our inner critic, requires a constant awareness of our inner voice and what it is saying. How it is influencing our emotions and our actions as well. The whole idea is to recognise when your inner critic is on a role and to choose better for yourself. It is important to realise that we do have control over how we speak to ourselves! To be firm and demand better, more nurturing, more nourishment, more love. And who better to give it to you than yourself!
So I hope this little piece, helps and guides you into the beautiful journey of finding ones freedom. Whatever that may be or feel for you. Whether it’s going for a swim, practicing a martial art, painting, practicing a hobby, being in nature, adopting a completely different lifestyle, changing your mindset, or even taking space from an environment that holds you back. Whatever it may be, I wish you all the very best and hope that more people have the wonderful opportunity of being free.
Life in a bottle 