Take the soul-o trip. Allow yourself to talk to yourself. Allow yourself to reveal yourself to you. I can promise that you will come back lighter, happier, and more ‘You!’
Every year, I take a couple of soul-o trips. As the spelling suggests, they end up being extremely soul-fulfilling. We humans are social animals. Granted. But we have also been given the ability to be alone, to close our eyes, introspect, and connect with the divine. It is in a balance between being with people and being alone – that we find that perfect harmony to life.
With an overhaul of technology, our time with ourselves has taken a real beating. Be honest – what is the first thing you do in the morning. For 9 out of 10 people, the answer is bound to be, check WhatsApp or social media.
I was no exception. And yet, these days I am training my system to believe who I am and a little appointment with God is more important than everything outside of me.
So, very consciously, the first hour after I wake up, I ensure I don’t touch my mobile. (You should try it – easy as it seems, it isn’t. And yet when you master it, what a difference it makes!)
I felt that even after taking some time out with myself in city life, it wasn’t enough. I wanted to get within me. To know what is crying. What is in bliss. What needs correction – and what needs celebration. While I am in Mumbai, I play so many roles – I am a wife, a dog mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. But who am I when I am alone?
Getting away by myself for a few days puts me back in touch with my core. And it’s an incredible feeling. Sometimes the core tells me – I am getting something wrong, and I need to correct it. And that’s okay. When feedback comes from you, to yourself, there’s no ego. Sometimes the core simply smiles in gratitude and says – thank you for being who you are. And it makes life feel worth it.
In my time with myself, I get a chance to re-live the past. I lost my mother about five months ago, and in my recent soul-o trip, one of those afternoons, all I did was relive some of the most beautiful memories of her. Her hugging me. Her tousling my hair. Our trips together.
We crave validation from the outside only when we don’t invest enough time in celebrating our success. Simply loving myself, patting myself, hugging myself in quiet pride made me feel – WoW, you have come far…
One would think this would be painful – but I cannot describe the deep peace it gave me. It made me feel, she was right there with me sharing every moment. It was deeply nourishing!
One of those evenings, simply gazing at the sunsets, I re-lived all my successes. Those moments where I knew my presence had made someone’s life better. Much better. Those awards. Those projects. Those “You Go, Girl” moments. And I felt so beautiful.
I realized we crave validation from the outside only when we don’t invest enough time in celebrating our success. Simply loving myself, patting myself, hugging myself in quiet pride made me feel – WoW, you have come far… and although there is a long way to go, the journey has surely and most certainly begun.
One of those early mornings, while strolling through the gardens, I was just overwhelmed with gratitude. I went down on my knees and thanked life for my relationships – and each person for adding what they did.
There were moments of sudden insights — and also a revelation, of a correction I needed to bring to feel like my healthier version.
So much happens on these soul-o trips. Every moment seemed laden with meaning. It somehow cleaned me up, of what needed cleaning. It charged me, about who I am becoming and what I need to do. And it made me recognize – how inherently important I am to me.
And everything outside of me comes later. First, it’s me.
I urge each one of you to go for these soul-o trips. Allow yourself to talk to yourself. Allow yourself to reveal yourself to you. I can promise you, you will come back lighter, happier, and more ‘You!’ But first, begin with that morning with yourself. Tell me what it does for you!
Lead photo courtesy: jessieonajourney.com
