Have you ever had a setback that makes you feel as if you have lost your direction and have no idea what the way forward should be?
This happened to me this week regarding my business. I suddenly felt lost and had no idea where I should go from here. I felt directionless and disoriented. My inner critic was ecstatic, she took the stage and could really go wild to show how bad things really were and how I was doomed to failure! She is an expert in narrating a future worst-case scenario which causes me anxiety and stress.
Whenever I am triggered by anxiety and stress, I realise that it is high time for me to go inwards and find my calm space. When I go from my thoughts into my body, from imagining a future scenario to being fully present in the here and now, I usually get direction. This time was no different. A question popped up.
“What can you do when you are lost in the forest? When you have no idea where you are or how to get out of it”.
I journaled 5 possibilities:
- Scream for help and hope someone will hear me and be prepared to save me
- Stay where I am in the hope that someone will come by and I can ask them for directions
- Continue walking in any direction and hope that I will find the road at some point in time
- Try to find out where I am and determine which direction is probably the right one to find the road
- Forget the road and learn how to thrive in the forest
Having five possibilities already made me feel a whole lot better, I now had a choice! Which one should I choose? I decided that 4 and 5 both appealed to me, but I opted for option 4.
I now have a clear direction, which I believe is achievable.
For me, this situation highlights the power of my feelings which guide me to my inner wisdom to find answers when the going gets tough. My inner critic is silenced and I am calm and happy again.