Hey Party People,
Have you ever gone through a time where nothing felt like it made sense? Where the life you were living was now foreign, or didn’t feel right anymore?
This was my experience last winter. I was struggling with not only my job, but with who I was, who my friends were, and what I was doing in LIFE! Maybe it was my pre-mid-life crisis. I hear that’s a thing in your 30’s. No? Just me?
Anyway, for me this time was a deep reflection of my life. I wasn’t viewing a job as just a job, or relationships as just people. I wanted everything to have more meaning and feel deeper… and I didn’t feel like I had that. I felt very out of soul.
Another term for what I was feeling is called the dark night of the soul. This wasn’t a term I’d heard before last year and I’m guessing its not one you’ve heard before either. The dark night of the soul is described as,
“a stage in personal development when a person undergoes a difficult and significant transition to a deeper perception of life and their place in it. This enhanced awareness is accompanied by a painful shedding of previous conceptual frameworks such as an identity, relationship, career, habit or belief system that previously allowed them to construct meaning in their life.”
Check out the article below if you want a bit more insight! It was bang on for me when I was in the thick of it all.
I could go on to write more about this experience but instead I invite you to listen to a podcast where I share all about this time. I was interviewed by a beautiful soul, Jen Anderson, on the Spiritual Boss podcast to share my experience in this space of discomfort. We drop some wicked nuggets of wisdom on surrendering to the deep parts of yourself, living into the premise of YOLO, and the belief that there are no wrong decisions.
You can find their podcast on all platforms by searching Spiritual Boss! Or you can jump over to their Instagram LinkedTree to find a link to the platform you like best! The title of the episode is called Dark Night of the Soul.
If you are in a dark space, or have been in the past maybe this podcast convo or the article above might give you more insight to your experience. The biggest lesson I learned about myself from this experience was that the struggle and hardship was only made worst by my resistance to feeling IT ALL. Instead we must surrender and feel it all. Stop pushing away the emotions you don't want to feel and instead confront those darker feelings, sit in it, and trust that you will find your way out. I believe in you even if you don’t just yet.
Party jam time!!
With Gratitude,
-S
