It’s time we stop hiding and start honoring our Shadow Self

As we work on healing ourselves from the trauma and shame of our past, It’s very important to honor and recognize the shadow side of ourselves. 👥

In psychology, the shadow side is a term used to refer to the parts within us that we try to hide or deny. The things we think we must hide from everyone else because of fear of others finding out how “bad” we really are. 😟

Our shame and guilt makes us want to bury this side and pretend it doesn't exist. Additionally, society tells us to focus on the good things, but never the darkness. We then become afraid of the darkness because no one has taught us to be comfortable with it.

It's important to get comfortable with your shadow self and it's important to honor it. Suppressing emotions only make these things worse. This is when addiction, depression, rage, jealousy and more develop.

There are various ways stop our shadow self from taking over and own up to our darkness. Some of my favorites are:

☑ Allow yourself to feel the emotions and not suppress it. If you are angry, scream! If you are sad, cry.
☑ Once you allow yourself to feel the emotions, tell yourself it's ok. It's ok to feel this way. It's ok to not be ok
☑ Identify your core negative beliefs and start changing it around. "I'm unlovable" becomes "I'm deserving of love."
☑ Journal out your emotions and negative beliefs and ask yourself why. Why do I believe that? What triggered this thought? The more you can uncover how these beliefs work, the faster you can heal.
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It's time to get comfortable with your shadow side! There’s no use ignoring it. It's a part of you and you'll be living with it for the rest of your life. 🌼

I have two coaching spaces open for September! DM me or send an email to hello@serenakelley.com