Share Your Truth And Set Yourself Free!

What if I told you that I’ve got something I’m DYING to say but…I’m gonna hold it in. Or that I just had a life-changing insight but… I’m gonna keep it to myself.

Or that there’s a form of expression that absolutely lights me up but… I’m going to hide it in the closet and never use it.

You’d say that’s just plain CRAZY, right?!!

But we do this. All of us do it. A lot.

I know I do. I hold back. I rationalize. I hide. I procrastinate. I doubt. Until I nearly IMPLODE from having this once luminescent, now radioactive, decaying truth or offering all bottled up inside me.

On a recent episode of Super Soul Sunday, Dr. Brene Brown and Oprah had an in depth chat about fear and shame. One of the biggest revelations from their discussion was Dr. Brown’s statement that “unused creativity is not benign. It gets metastasized as rage, judgment and shame.”

Does that sound a bit drastic?

I believe it. And I’ve experienced it first hand both within myself and in my relationships. It’s that feeling of having something you know you need to express but despite that growing yearning, you keep it sealed in tight and it eats away at you.

There’s no question that fear and shame are a huge part of what cause us to keep within that which is meant to be expressed – fear of being judged, fear of not being good enough, fear of intimacy. And the shame that comes along with each of those fears being realized, or the shame of showing our true colors and letting people see who we really are.

Ever been in a situation where there’s something in your heart you need to express to another? And the more you keep it in, the worse it gets, right? When this happens, the tension becomes palpable and the unspoken truth has the potential to become toxic as time passes, both in how it affects the dynamic of the relationship outwardly and in how we feel internally. This toxicity can manifest as a feeling of being disconnected, frustration, irritation, anger or rage.

The same thing happens to us individually where our creative expression is concerned. If deep down in your heart, you love to sing and you never use your voice, it will speak louder in your subconscious, questioning your sense of self. If you love to write stories or poetry and you never put ink on the page, you’re going to feel that unused talent scratching away at you within.

Thoughts, emotions, and creativity are all forms of energy. Energy is meant to keep moving and when we stop its flow and keep it stuck, it intensifies. If we keep this up and keep it in for too long, that stale energy can wreak havoc spiritually, mentally and emotionally. And this stress definitely takes its toll on our bodies.

And as scary as it can be, the simple solution is often to just speak some truth, share ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions and our gifts, openly and authentically. The act of expressing our truth and releasing it has the power to set us free and completely shift a situation, including how we feel about ourselves. Especially when we are coming from our hearts and there is a loving intention behind our expression, only good can come of it.

Have you been talking yourself out of speaking your truth, telling your story, and sharing your gifts? Are you willing to express yourself and trust that what’s in your heart will set you free?

Much love,

Chris

Published by The Daily Love (April 28th, 2013)