Are you meeting yourself where you really are.... or where you think you should be?
Are you meeting yourself where you’re really at… or where you think you should be?
There’s a quiet ache many of us carry - a feeling that we’re behind, not doing enough, or somehow failing if old emotions rise again. We question: Didn’t I already deal with this? Why is this pattern still here? Am I going backwards?
But what if… you’re not regressing?
What if the resurfacing is not failure, but an invitation?
When the Past Creeps In
We’ve all been there. A smell, a tone of voice, a passing comment - and suddenly, we’re not in the present anymore. We're reacting from a place that’s deeply familiar, but not necessarily current. It’s as if our nervous system whispers: Last time this happened, we got hurt… so brace yourself.
In these moments, we might:
Lash out
Shut down
People please
Retreat into ourselves
And often, we don’t even realise it. That’s the danger of being stuck in the loop - reliving the present through the lens of the past.
The Power of Awareness
Awareness is the shift.
Once we notice the loop, we gain power. We don’t need to “fix” it immediately. We just need to pause long enough to ask:
Where am I really right now?
What is this emotion pointing to?
What do I need in this moment?
It’s in this sacred pause that we move from reaction to response. From survival to choice.
“It doesn’t mean we’ll never get triggered again.
It means we no longer automatically become the trigger.”
Loving What Arises - Even the Shadow
Some of the most profound healing happens not through pushing discomfort away, but by loving it back in.
Guilt. Fear. Not-enoughness.
These aren’t signs of your failure.
They’re parts of your inner map.
Your shadow isn’t broken - it’s brilliant.
It’s not a flaw - it’s a guide.
And instead of asking you to be perfect, it simply asks:
“Will you stay with me?”
“Will you love me here?”
This is where the heart of the work sits.
In presence. In compassion.
In choosing not to exile parts of yourself but to welcome them home.
A Practice to Return to Now
Breathwork is a beautiful grounding practice, and one that invites you back into your body, your heart, and your truth.
Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly.
Breathe. (click for a mindful breath practice)
Ask yourself: “Where am I really?”
No judgment. No fixing. Just listening.
Because this is the healing.
This is the work.
This is where we reclaim presence - and with it, our power.
Final Reflection
In a world constantly asking you to perform, to perfect, to rise - this episode offers a different path:
A return.
To stillness.
To truth.
To self.
And so we leave you with this:
Are you meeting yourself where you’re really at… or where you think you should be?
Let your answer be your medicine.
Big Love,
Anna and Kelly
xxx
🎧 Listen to Nourish Connect Thrive Episode 15 now: "Are You Meeting Yourself Where You Really Are?" on Spotify
