How to express your authentic self

There are many ways to express yourself authentically, yet fundamentally feeling safe to make mistakes, screw up and get it wrong are all part of making it up as you go.

Being safe is by definition to be protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not likely to be harmed or lost.

So with this definition in mind, how safe do you feel to be and express you?

It may seem like an odd question, yet I want you to consider and answer honestly.

Do you feel safe to speak your truth, no matter where you are?

Do you feel safe to wear whatever you want, regardless of who’s looking?

Do you feel safe to meet new people or experience something completely new?

Do you feel safe to trust yourself and intuition?

You see, a major part of loving yourself is to know how to truly feel safe in any moment. When you feel safe, you can relax, be yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin. Thereby having the ability to express yourself and act on your desires consistently.

The problem is most women don’t feel safe to be themselves in at least one area of their life. This is usually the result of a situation or circumstance in the past that has led them to believe that they are unsafe to be them.

Whether it is from parents or people they placed in authority. Or whether it has been the media and how it reports events and news, all these aspects contribute to how safe you actually feel, if not explored.

What is it for you, where do you feel unsafe?

Is it being vulnerable in front of a loved one? If you’re yourself you may be judged.

Is it getting your ideal body? If you get your ideal body you may attract unwanted attention from men.

Or is it having an intimate relationship with a partner. If you open up you may get hurt.

Feeling unsafe inhibits you from being who you are and expressing your authentic self, which essentially means you aren’t living the life you yearn for.

For me the whole of life used to be an unsafe zone. I couldn’t really be myself and had to fit in with whoever was around me. Feeling uneasy around boys and men, I protected myself by wearing baggy clothes when what I actually yearned for was to look radiant and feel comfortable in my skin and trust I’d be ok.

So here’s what to do instead, explore where in your life you are not feeling safe. Is it relationships, your body and how it looks and therefore how others may judge you or is it something else?

Once you identify where you feel unsafe decide what you want to do about it. Explore how this protection doesn’t serve you anymore and consciously create a new way of being. If it is around your body and how you look, decide how you want to feel about your body and take one action step in the next 24 hours to ensure that you are on your way to transforming it.

Today’s post is inspired by the image featured. It comes from an inspirational and powerful photographer Chanel Baran.

Let me know how you get on or if you have any questions in the comments area.