Giving Yourself Permission to Just Be (And Why that Matters)

In New Age communities, Self-care has become another thing we have to do in order to be a spiritual person. While taking care of ourselves is very important, there is often an underlying message that you need days or weeks of quiet time to connect. I think it is equally important to recognize the inherent value in allowing yourself connection in short pockets of time throughout the day. Simply doing what you can when you can.

Allowing yourself time to just be, even in short, consistent moments, not only heals the body, but you are able to access the intuitive knowing that is always present.

If you are working to move away from overdoing and over-functioning, this period of time can help you create and strengthen new boundaries. If tempted to overschedule, ask if there is anything you can easily say “no” to. It is easy to look at our calendar and say that there is never enough time. Maybe you have your days mapped out through the end of the year. If this is the case, look for short pockets of time to support your healing. I remember when I first began my healing journey; I was and am still a working single mother. I felt as if there wasn’t even a spare moment in my day or week. 

During this period, I consciously looked for short pockets of time to begin my healing practices, to go within, to create energetic space. I got up ten minutes earlier to set the tone for my day. I looked for a few minutes after work while I let my daughter color or eat a snack. I created space even when I felt I didn’t have any. I closed myself in a room at work and focused on my breath for 5 minutes.

The more that I consciously allowed myself short amounts of time to heal and be throughout my day, the more common and necessary the practices became to me.

In short, these practices tuned me into who I was without the mask of the many roles I played throughout the day—mother, teacher, daughter, friend. These practices tuned me into the quiet, I AM presence within.

I did this by simply giving myself permission. At the time, permission didn’t look like a week at a retreat center, a full day, or even a full hour. It looked like doing what I could when I could. And that was—and still is—enough. Now, I have given myself permission to take an hour-long yoga class when I can. To soak in a nightly bath, to walk to the park with my daughter, to consciously experience the moment in its simplicity—whether it feels tiring, happy, or sad.

I give myself permission to be with what is, without trying to push it away, or get somewhere else. When we move into the space of the non-verbal, non-doing, we give can hear the quiet voice leading us and guiding us in all moments. In these moments of deep listening, we can hear whispers of what quietly wants to come forth during the next cycle.

Whether is it claiming your creativity through painting, or walking barefoot on the ground, even small amounts of time can help claim space in your life.

Does walking to the park bring a feeling of expansion and joy? Does writing in your journal bring you into awareness of your inner world? Does paying attention to your breath cause you to slow down for a moment and feel your body? Consider these acts of self-care not as luxuries, but rather as necessary to consciously allow the body to heal and rest.

In the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, Ascended Master Lao Tzu offers us a statement on the simplicity of being. He says, “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” If we can remember to slow down, we can act as the good traveler—the one able to experience the beauty of the present, we can begin to appreciate life rather than let it pass us by with a never-ending list to finish in the future.

He further offers, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” If we look to nature as our teacher, as Lao Tzu suggests, we can know that everything we need to get done will be accomplished in the correct time. We can trust that we are deeply supported by the earth under our feet. We can know that we are supported in our need to rest.

Recently, one of my guides gave me a message, “There is nowhere to go but here, and now, and IN.” So, I say these words to myself in quiet moments when needed. I give myself permission to just be. More and more, this looks like the simplicity of parenting, of writing, of walking, of reading, of holding my daughter’s hand. In this beautiful season, in this season of wandering without a destination, I encourage you, even in small moments, to give yourself permission to just be.

As requested by many, this month I’ve begun a new Intuitive Coaching offering. This is for those who would like one-on-one instruction to develop their unique spiritual abilities. Each package includes one intuitive reading session, followed by private, one-on-one coaching to raise your vibration, identify blocks, open your energy centers, develop your unique spiritual gifts, and gain clarity around your life’s purpose.