We have all been there in different ways…

Handling so many issues through the day, having to still handle issues at home AND dealing with the Chaos that is the world right now and perhaps even kiddos and pets…

You are in the middle of getting something done and an interruption happens that throws you off kilter. The burdens you carry begin to feel like they are pushing you into the ground. And that one interruption feels like the breaking point… Yet, you push on and it lightens up for a bit until something else happens… and the cycle continues until you feel like you have a million hands holding heavy responsibilities and have no idea how you can do it all, let alone do more. Yet we feel we are expected to do that More because no one is there to help (or willing, or we feel we can’t ask for help).

So, we mask...

We get told we are so resilient, so strong… We push on, even when our minds tell us we cannot. We will break if something else comes along for us to hold or do. The worst-case scenarios play in our minds because it feels like if we drop even one of those heavy burdens we hold, everything will fall apart. We will fall apart. Hearing people talk when we are working on something, hearing someone chew or whine begins to set your teeth on edge. We start to feel our bodies tense, jaw clench and we get extra irritable. Then feel bad when we finally say something (usually harsher than we intended…) and feel bad afterwards. Of course, that begins to feel like yet another burden to hold.

This is a Shadow aspect that makes us want to Mask and say everything is fine, I got this, even when we are breaking inside. We are Overwhelmed, Stressed Out and Anxious beyond belief. Everything feels electrified as the stress grows within us. Like the pressure we can feel right before an electrical storm, we feel like catastrophe will strike at any moment so we brace for what is coming.

Cool Art:

I asked Abby from Actually Owltistic to illustrate something to show what this all feels like. (I just gave her stress/anxiety/overwhelm that feels electrified) and she did an amazing job in showing how it feels!! This persona has so many arms, is holding their head in agony like “Why Won’t It Stop Already?! I kept her watermark here to help protect her creation! Check out her art at https://www.actuallyowltistic.com

Why give a Shadow a Persona or Face???

When we give our Shadows a face, it can become less intimidating, less stressful to face. We can look at it and tell it to “Fuck Off!” if we want too. I will do this in meditation. It helps to have something to look at to help us create that identity in our minds while meditating. When we allow ourselves to hear them, to give them a voice, we can understand what we need to help reduce these big feelings. Sometimes writing out the ideas that come up when we sit and decide to give that part of us a voice also helps. More tips and tools to come soon too.

I will be making a backstory and character sheet for this Shadow as a Villain to face in my Therapeutic Dungeons and Dragons Style Games soon too!! I can’t wait to introduce more as we get them illustrated channel a personality for each of these!!

More to come soon.

Try out talking to your Overwhelm as if they were this Creature. Explore what this part of you has to say and find out exactly what it needs to help YOU. Explore, get curious and then do something fun or lighthearted for You.

I Love You. I Support You.

Always Remember,
You Are Loved,
You Are Valid,
You Are Accepted.

Love,

Interested in adding Coaching and/or Energy Healing to help you?

Go to: https://healingcraftcoaching.com/services