on turning inward

there is something to be said about the importance of allowing yourself to be in a season of turning inward when you feel the need to be in a season of turning inward. it is not only the winter months that invite this in but in our lives, we move through seasons of needing to tend to ourselves on a level we may not always feel necessary.

we need seasons to understand what it is we are feeling. to let ourselves process. to be in transition. to let ourselves digest the changes happening around us. to heal. to do the work. to not force clarity but perhaps allow ourselves to feel a little lost for awhile. to feel at the brink of a thousand possibilities but release the urgency to choose a certain one.

when we are in seasons where life suddenly feels slow, or as though we suddenly need more alone time than we initially had planned for, trust that it is happening for a reason. maybe you are laying the foundation of a new chapter in your life. maybe you are setting up the ground work for important healing to be done. maybe you are growing in a way that feels more internal, tending to your inner self. we are not always meant to be in seasons where our lives are changing and growing on the outside.

sometimes, it’s about the changes that happen on the inside that set up the foundation for what is to change on the outside.

some seasons pull you in close like a hug, wrapping you up in warmth and comfort and blankets by the fireplace and warm soups on the stove. there’s constantly a warm bath running, and tea in the kettle. but there is always this voice, finding it’s way into your stream of consciousness, saying shouldn’t we be doing more? shouldn’t i be maximizing this time i have? shouldn’t i be working towards something, deciding something, planning my next step, my next evolution?

these are questions that circulate in my own mind. when i crave rest or free evenings to be in my own company, to finally get a grasp on how i am feeling or simply let myself just enjoy existing. although it may feel a bit bland it may also be the very thing that prevents us from burning out on constantly trying to decide what’s next.

for if we are in a season where so many things feel uncertain, the next steps feel like a cloud that can’t seem to unblock the sunshine, it could just be because we simply aren’t meant to know yet. maybe, it is our sign that this is our time to recalibrate. to reconnect to ourselves. to observe the changes that have already taken place, and let ourselves recognize that we too, have changed in the process.

life will forever move in seasons and cycles. if you are in a season of turning inward, know that it will not last forever. so take it while you have it. the grass is not always greener. let yourself rest. let yourself be in transition. let yourself go slow. let yourself be a little uncomfortable in the process. let yourself not have all the answers - the beauty in life is that life is a mystery. that so much of life is unseen. so much of life is unknown.

let yourself feel lost for a little bit. let yourself feel questionable about the future. let yourself imagine endless paths for yourself but know that it is okay to not know what to choose yet. let yourself be okay with where you are. because the lessons, the moments, the healing, the inner work, all that is happening right now, is only going to lay the foundation for all that is to come. taking time for yourself to recalibrate is the very grounds where the next steps will make themselves known. feeling lost and questioning your path is not necessarily a sign that something is wrong but rather evidence that you are truly building a life unique and authentic to you.

trust your timing, always. we cannot force decisions that are not ready to be made. we can only be certain with what is. if you are in recalibration and rest, it is probably because you are meant to be. if you feel the pull to turn inward, it is probably because there is something waiting for you to be uncovered, to be healed, to be acknowledged, to be felt.

seasons of turning inward are not always the most comfortable. because they are times where we cannot resist seeing ourselves clearly any longer. where what we truly feel has nowhere to go but to the surface. it is a time of reckoning, of reconnection. what is true can no longer be something that we dismiss.

when rebuilding, when recalibrating, we are often times shown what will no longer work in our lives. the patterns that no longer sustain us, the cycles that no longer serve us. we continuously shed versions of ourselves as we grow.

let yourself rest without distraction, let yourself process without the need to be productive. distraction may convince us that we must seek answers outside of ourselves. perhaps one of the greatest lessons we will be able to learn in our lifetimes is that we can trust the wisdom our body holds.

sometimes the strongest thing we can do is soften. the most vulnerable thing we can do is let go. sometimes we wish to feel momentum but our bodies may be tired. so allow yourself to meet yourself exactly where you are. for there is nowhere else you need to be. the clarity will come, it cannot be rushed, and yet somehow, it always arrives perfectly on time.