things lost, and gained

On March 3rd, 2017, I wrote the following list of things I noticed after giving myself permission to walk away from an oppressive belief system. I was almost two years into exploring a life marked by authenticity to my own self, rather than seeking to please others and/or their interpretation of god. I did not edit this list in any way, and I find that these hold true to this day many years later. Are any of these improvements things you are seeking to incorporate more of into your life? If they resonate with you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You don’t have to go through this journey alone.

“Here are the things that have vastly improved since I made a scary, major life change to let go of everything I had ever known about two years ago:

• less stress

• less anxiety

• less guilt

• not as hard on myself

• more understanding of other people’s backgrounds

• more freedom

• more joy

• more mental sense of assurance and confidence

• more peace between my mind, body, and soul

• less feelings of inferiority

• less fear of doing the wrong thing or making the wrong choice

• more empowerment to go after my dreams

• more energy (weird right?)

• less nightmares/anxiety dreams

• more calm in the day to day

• less anger

• fewer feelings of being trapped 

• less weight of others’ expectations on me”