Not the reflection of who the world thinks you are, but the hidden corners, the whispers you’ve tucked away. This is shadow work. Shadow work isn’t about “getting rid of” your shadow self. It’s about “seeing” it and embracing that is part of what makes you, you!
When you do shadow work you MUST be brutally honest with yourself.
Ask yourself:
What am I afraid to see… and what power might it hold?
Who am I when no one is watching?
What am I pretending to not know about myself?
Where does my power hide, waiting for me to claim it?
What has been speaking to me lately that I have been pushing aside?
What parts of myself do I hide from others and wht do I feel shame around them?
When do I judge other most harshly and what does that reveal about myself?
What desires or fears do I deny, even to myself, because they feel “too much” or “unacceptable”?
When I feel triggered, what truth about myself is my shadow trying to show me?
Sometimes the shadows we resist carry the keys to our freedom.
Share a thought, a fear, or a revelation. Let’s explore the unseen together.
So many things have changed since Covid, I feel like I don’t know anything at all anymore. I could be wrong, but it is scary to insist I am still the same inside, somewhere.
I’ve been clearing out the old and unused to make space for what has been changing.
I was polite at the Coffee Clutch, chatting long beyond the closing time, and setting up a group tarot/oracle share on Saturday.
When I got home and checked my phone, my former driver (truck broke down beyond repair on Tuesday) had been calling me. I’d had no idea she was nearby. Of course, when I finally found out, she had left the area and couldn’t return. This is the second time she needed me and couldn’t reach me just because she hadn’t let me know she’d be in my area before I went off to live my own life. I feel guilty for something I couldn’t have helped unless I’d taken the phone with me. I’m too used to having a land line: leaving it behind for privacy and focus when I’m busy.
Things are strange right now- not bad, just different- as I am attempting to create something sustainable for myself. One more appointment, Friday, and my old driver and I won’t have access to each other anymore until she gets access to another vehicle for her own transportation, which may not happen for quite some time. She lives in an area where the bus line recently closed down, so she’s now experiencing what I went through when Walmart closed down. I’m not trying to be mean, but I do have to take care of myself. I’m already tapped, so there’s little I can do to help her, and she knows that. I have been telling her politely but repeatedly since before I moved. It takes about 2 years for me to save up a buffer after each time I move. She got addicted to me, and now she’s on her own. The Bank of Georgia will now be closing as of Friday evening.
I hear ya about the phone. I am still old-school and have a land line. I do have a cell, but it is for my family, and I use it when I am out and about. That way if they need to know where I am, or if I need a ride, ‘cause they’re close by, or if I need to call home, or them, I have access. I do not, however, give my cell number to anyone else. You know, doctor office, “and your cell?”, me, '“don’t have one”, them “but what if we need to get a hold of you?”, me, “that’s why I still have a landline”. I don’t want robo-calls, and stupid automatic “reminders” from everyone, doctor office, medicine refill, library…you know. My phone, is exactly that, MINE. Not for everyone else to interrupt me.
So, sorry you are feeling bad at not being able to reached by your friend. I’m not so sure how this will help, but I have come to the conclusion, if you did nothing WRONG, than you have nothing to feel guilty about! (Growing up, someone always asked if I felt guilty because they were unhappy) Since I did nothing wrong, I have no reason to feel Guilty. You were not home, not because you KNEW she was gonna call, but life, your life, was happening. You have NOTHING to feel guilty about. Lady Gene
Hello @amanda73 and welcome to the forum!
I understand that this is a very private matter that you wouldn’t want to share with just anyone. But you’re sharing it here, and I think that’s very brave of you!
I think it’s great that you’ve taken this step, are taking control of your life, and are no longer tolerating addiction.
Hey Amanda, my full time job is a social media marketer and I actually do social media content for a recovery center here in NH. I’ve learned a lot about what this is all about.
You are a person in recovery from substance use disorder — a condition that affects the brain, not your worth. You are worthy!
Your story is not something to hide. It is something that carries wisdom, strength, and hard-earned insight. Every step you’ve taken, even the painful ones, has shaped you.
There is no shame in your experiences. There is courage in surviving them. There is power in choosing healing. And there is deep purpose in using what you’ve lived through to light the way for someone else who may still be in the dark.
Your journey matters. Your voice matters. You matter. Many blessings to you.
Look into the mirror of your soul tonight. 
