Are You Living Your Authentic Truth?

Over my years of being in private practice I have seen, time and time again, people who come to me with deep depression, anxiety, and sometimes chronic illness. Once we get into the meat and potatoes of what is going on in their lives there is one common root, they are not living their authentic truth. What is an authentic truth? Authentic truth is your true self, what you really believe in, living the way that makes you have your happiest life, loving whom you want to love, living where you want to live, believing in what you want to believe in. Flowing downstream instead of trying to swim up it, saying yes to things that sing to your heart and saying no to things that make you feel uneasy or bad.

When we are not living our authentic truth we are going against our grain, we are pretending to be someone we are not. We are basically living a lie. This is the reason for the deep depression, anxiety, and sometimes chronic illness. Imagine your spirit as a giant flame burning bright when you are striking it with joy, doing the things you love, being able to say what you want to without fear, being accepted. Then imagine your spirit having blankets thrown on it. Blankets of shame, guilt, and people-pleasing at your own expense. Your flame is getting smaller and smaller. When you are not living your authentic truth you are crushing your soul.

How do you start living your authentic truth and what if you don’t even know what it is because you have been walking around with a soul-crushing mask for so long? Start to ask yourself questions like when I feel happy what am I doing? Who am I with? Start to write these things down. When I am feeling my worst, angry, unhappy, sad, anxious what am I doing? Who am I with? 

The prospect of actually living your life for you on your terms may sound scary but trust that when you start to live in your joy people who are similar to you will come around. The people who were not like you or did not support the true you will fall off. You will begin to design the life that brings you the most happiness. You owe it to yourself. After all, we only get one chance, as who we are in this life, at the game of life.