World Class Hugs

By Rachel Puryear

If you value personal growth, you may have heard of shadow work. Shadow work, basically, means addressing the parts of our psyches that most people tend to keep hidden – darker sides to our personalities, trauma, negative emotions, and so forth.

All of us, no matter how kind and ethical we may generally be, have a shadow side. It’s simply a part of being human.

However, people tend to be afraid and ashamed of their own shadows, as it were. Accordingly, they tend to not listen to it, or try to learn important lessons from it.

By acknowledging and listening to the shadow side in spite of ours fears, though, there is much to be gained. Doing so can also make the shadow side become less scary, rather than more so.

Here are several potential benefits to be gained from better getting to know your shadow:

• Better self-awareness, and understanding.
• More insight into why you think, feel, and act the way you do.
• Improved relationships with others.
• Better self-esteem, and confidence.
• Improved creativity, imagination, and ideas.
• More compassion for yourself, and for others.

How can you start exploring your own shadow side, if you’ve never done anything like it before?

• Notice, and build awareness of, your shadow. When things come up in your mind that you would normally dismiss and even stuff down (we all have those), instead pay attention to them – see what they might be trying to tell you, and use that as valuable insight about your shadow.
• Build acceptance of your shadow. It doesn’t define you, but it is also an important part of you.
• Meditate on your shadow – and be open to remembering previous parts of your life.
• Express your shadow. This can be done through art, journaling, spiritual practice, or therapy; for instance.
• Consider why you remember things you don’t like to remember, think things that are disturbing to you, and even do things that you don’t feel good about. Focus on why that is, and let answers come to you – and welcome and accept them as they come.

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Thank you, dear readers, for reading, following, and sharing. Here’s to accepting, and knowing, your own shadow. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” and subscribe, if you have not already.

Check out my other blog, too – Free Range Life, at https://freerangelife.net.

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