I want to share with you a change I’ve made in my language. As someone who shares thoughts, content and advice online, I believe it’s important to continually take stock of words that I use and to make sure that they’re aligning with the message and the spirit I aim to convey. So with that being said, I’m breaking up with the word balance.
I’m Savannah Alalia and welcome to the latest episode of High Functioning Human Podcast where you get to connect to yourself as a high-functioning human. In the past, I’ve used the word balance quite freely as a way to encourage you to connect with yourself and embrace a life that includes both good and bad and everything in between.
But although the essence behind balance is still there, at least in the way I used to use it, it has been said that lately balance has been acting a bit more toxic. It’s become tangled up with toxic positivity and toxic spirituality. And so, sad to say, but balance is on a timeout in my books.
Think about it. Whether it’s in your home, your garden, your body, an increased obsession with perfection and balance can lead you down a rabbit hole that distorts your perspective. Like a funhouse mirror where you’re no longer recognizing what’s actually real. This toxic positivity can demonize the journey through negative experiences and lead you to chase only good feelings or positive experiences, things that tick certain boxes either internally or externally. But following your true feelings, both positive and negative, is so important because your feelings reflect the real chemical processes happening in your body.
When you try to out think your emotions, it’s like using a thought made staircase to climb out of a feeling without acknowledging it. You’re essentially pushing that feeling back down, smoothing it over without truly processing it. It can actually be dangerous to smooth over those feelings. It pushes you out of integrity and it can cause your words to lose power. It can diffuse or dissolve what you’re trying to create. Your own authentic voice can get lost and you no longer know which is you, the real you or the real voice to follow.
So if you’re trying to create something, it can be especially important to address this mindset by clinging to the idea of balance or righteousness. It’s also really easy to dodge the physical aspect of your emotions. In fact, there is so much avoidance of the physical in the spiritual. But the physical is a vehicle or expression of your emotions, and having shame about your negative side is a denial of the complexity of who you are. This is why I’ve recently spent time addressing some of the darker or less spoken about emotions like Grief, Anger or Worry, for example.
These emotions directly impact the chemical responses in your body and they deserve to be seen and to be heard. It’s all too easy to live in a fantasy world where the darker side of you is ignored or overlooked. Your fascia directly responds to your emotions whether you acknowledge them or ignore them. Living a perfectly balanced life on the surface with tangled fascia underneath is only going to make you more and more stuck.
Being present to these emotions can be uncomfortable, so that’s definitely something to be prepared for and to get used to. You might find it helpful to explore grounding exercises or what’s called orienting. It can be a great way to check in and see what your actual emotions are. Typically, being able to feel sensation in your body when you do this gets you present into reality and recognizing what’s real rather than what you think is happening.
So who replaces balance in my roster? Well, some contenders would be Movement, Connection, Openness, Curiosity. All of these words to me are more honest about what it means to be doing the work. They take you out of your mind and encourage you to listen to your body and to your emotions and your fascia as well as giving yourself what you need. And it’s important to remember that sometimes you might need help to do this to give your body what it needs. I’m on this journey with you and each podcast episode is designed to give you a heartfelt thought piece about your connection with yourself.
If you feel like my work is something you want more of, my Your Face Symmetry programs explore ways to support your fascia and deepen your connection with yourself as a high functioning human, especially the intermediate and advanced programs. So take a look.
What words are you breaking up with? Share in the comments below.
Remember, trust your instincts, follow your intuition because the world needs your voice and the magic it brings to us all.
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I look forward to chatting with you next time on the High Functioning Human Podcast. Take care and talk soon.
As always, I remain a cheerleader for your inner self-worth,
