I woke up Sunday morning to many text messages saying Happy Mother’s Day, and I was taken aback. The baby has not yet been born, but he is definitely here in me and with us. My size and his kicks let me know that every day. My sleep and my lifestyle have already begun to change. But, thinking of myself as a mother is a stretch for me. It’s a whole shift in identity.
There are a lot of unknowns for me inherent in this big life change. Will the sleepless nights be as bad as people say they are?
Probably.
Will looking into his eyes and holding him close make it all worth it?
Probably. But I won’t know these things or the answers to many of the questions running through my head for sure until I experience what it’s like for myself.
I was thinking this internal conversation probably relates to what a lot of you are feeling right now facing the unknowns the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought into our lives.
How will life be different?
What will we be able to do? What will be off limits?
How will my freedom be hindered?
Will we be able to pay our bills?
Will I be able to feed my family?
How am I going to go on without the loved ones I have lost? What will life be like without them?
Will there be another round of this, is life ever going to feel normal again?
Am I going to have to reinvent myself to stay employed?
Will I be at the mercy of circumstances I cannot control?
I could go on asking more questions that continue to surface.
The one thing that gives me solace is that I can choose how I want to handle it all…
There is a line from “Wait for It,” one of the songs in Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton that struck me and stayed with me since the first time I heard it in the theater:
“I am the one thing in life I can control.
I am inimitable.
I am an original!”
In this swirl of uncertainty, becoming a mother during this crazy time, and witnessing what others are feeling in my sessions, I know this to be true.
We cannot control what is happening in the world, but we do have control over how we live through it.
A wise friend suggested I ask my mom for words of wisdom she wanted to pass on before she gave up her battle with cancer 5 years ago. On her last lucid day, she pointed to the pictures of her grandkids that we stuck to her IV pole and said:
“You have to let people be who they are.”
I felt my mom’s presence very strongly on Mother’s Day, remembered her words and started to think about how I could apply this wisdom now, as my identity and the world is changing so profoundly.
The only way you or I can continue to be who we are, as our lives are profoundly changing is to check in with that part of us that knows what we want at any moment, in any circumstance–our heart.
Below is an exercise you can do to help you Release Fears of the Unknown and Tap into The Guidance of Your Own Heart.
Think about it, if you are able to act in a way that honors your heart’s needs and desires as any change comes up, you can take care of yourself through any crisis. The exercise below helps you silence stress and pressure from the outside world and get aligned with what you desire verses reacting to what you feel you “should do.”
You are the one thing in life you can control, and I want you to be who you are, especially now.
Please share this with anyone you think could benefit from this. http://bit.ly/HeartGuidance
And, let me know if this resonates in the comments below.
Much love,
One Reply to “How to Release Fears of the Unknown and Tap into the Guidance of Your Own Heart”
Hi Lara! Thank you so much for this video. I loved it and found it so helpful! I think it would be great if you did a video on not relying on others for approval/validation, but rather trusting in ourselves and making decisions that are best for us as individuals. Thank you!