Has the truth set you free?

Hello!

I’ve been thinking about freedom this week. I looked through some of my photos to find one where I felt free. I took this photo on an early spring walk through the woods. I love the drizzle of warm rain. Here I am, with no makeup, no filter, and no concerns other than being present in the experience. 

What is freedom? 

One definition from Merriam-Webster is the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. You can read more of the definition here. I like that definition because it reminds me of the freedom I feel when I stop considering what other people think of me. (It’s none of my business.) For a long time, I felt constrained in my choices and actions because of fear of what would happen if people didn’t like me. Yes, I understand now the irony that it wasn’t me they liked anyway. It was a version of me that I constructed to get their approval. Thankfully, I’ve changed!

I’ve learned that freedom is an inside job. It involves paying attention to the people, places, things and events that trip us up. Once we become aware, we can confront what we are telling ourselves and begin to let go of what has been keeping us from having the freedom we want.

It takes time. I’ve observed that once I’ve done the work of freeing myself from something, I often go through a period of excess. It’s like the pendulum has swung way over to the other side. Let me use the example of weight and diet culture. Sadly, many of you will relate.

Once I understood how deeply I had internalized the idea of thinness as a standard of beauty and acceptability in my life, I chose freedom. Initially, it was a lot of eating, drinking and being merry. (It still is some days!) I was free from the shackles of weighing myself constantly and feeling like my size validated my worth in any way.

Over time I began to recognize that I had only done part of the work. I didn’t need to overindulge to demonstrate to myself (or anyone else) that I was free. It was helpful for a while, but now I am at a place where I’m not in reactive freedom. I have inner freedom. I can now consider this concept:

I am free from _______________ and that frees me to _________________.

I am free from years of diet culture, and that frees me to explore what a healthy approach to food could be. I am free from the toxicity of organized religion, and that freedom allows me to discover what a healthy and vibrant belief system means for me. 

And if you are in the pendulum-swinging phase right now in your freedom journey, it’s okay. I think it can be necessary to find out where our edges are and what feels true for us. I recently read this question: What still keeps you at the mercy of particular events, things and people? (from The Spirituality of Age by Weber & Orsborn) 

The holidays are often an excellent opportunity to pay attention to your choices and why you are making them. I would love to hear from you! Please email me a freedom story or picture or tag me on Instagram.