Being a very feelings-driven person means I want to find meaning in my life experiences and I want to connect; to myself by listening to my feelings and what I need and to others, by listening to them (verbally and non-verbally) and to what they need. 

Sometimes words are not adequate to express feelings and we express ourselves in different ways.  For me that might be wearing lots of bright colours, listening to music or having a tattoo done!

My first tattoo was a little, black cat.  I am a huge animal lover and cats have been part of my heart and soul ever since my cat, Clemmy, used to sleep on my pram when I was a baby.  Nothing ‘grounds’ me and brings me into the moment like cuddling a purring cat.

And my second tattoo was a poppy which I had after my Mum died.  It symbolises ‘never forget’ to me.  I’ve always loved the symbolism of poppies and how fragile they are on their own but how beautiful, powerful and so full of hope they are, when they stand together; just like people.

How do YOU express yourself?  What is in your heart that you’re not expressing?

What stops people expressing themselves?  Through our life we are likely to have ‘learnt’ (and taken on as our ‘truth’) it’s not safe to express our feelings fully with words.  Maybe we received subtle messages from others that it’s not ‘acceptable’ to cry or to be angry or to tell someone that they’ve annoyed us.  So we learnt to disconnect from our emotions, and the vital information they are giving us about ourselves, in order to fit in; to feel worthy of love and belonging.  We hide in our minds, under a veil of thoughts, and attempt to rationalise and intellectualise our way through life, all the while denying our true feelings a voice.

Whatever the reason for burying emotion and disconnecting from feelings in our body because we’ve learnt it can make life easier, more manageable and less painful, this creates a disconnect.  A disconnect from ourselves, a disconnect from a meaningful life and a disconnect from others. What is the point of life if you’re living it in a prison of repressed emotional numbness so that life just isn’t meaningful.

What is your story?  What is your truth? 

Coaching can help you reconnect with your inner world.  It can help you start to listen to the whispered words of wisdom within you and listen to the messages your body is trying to send you. Coaching is a safe, confidential space for you to show up with all your perfect imperfections and be SEEN and HEARD. 

“Shame dies when stories are told in safe places” – Ann Voskamp. 

So my third and final (probably) tattoo is going to be a lotus flower.  For me that will symbolise self-acceptance and a sense of inner peace.  A sign of accepting myself and all my perfect imperfections and a connection to me and my story without a need to hide.

Where are you hiding?  In your head, stuck in excessive analysis of your thoughts…or maybe behind some tattoos?  I’d love to hear from you if your head is working way too hard and you’ve forgotten how to listen to your heart.