My Emo Dips Don't Own Me
Clearing to create. How to get back into the work.
High vibe. 🌞🌈❤️ It’s my new phone wallpaper. It’s to remind me that my emo dips don’t own me. It’s what reminded me I have a ton of skills and tricks and invitations that get me back in action when I’ve tripped into the dark of I-can’t.
High Vibe — Not a mask. Not a bypass. A pause, a check in, a grounding. A reckoning, a recalibration, a going forward in commitment.
A reminder — I got this. So do you. Let’s go.
How Do You Get Your Vibe Back?
When you’ve gotten knocked off course —
(What was it: a breakup, a move, a no from your boss, the world feels tragic and out of control, pants too tight this morning, and all that means about your life now, the goal post on the project shifted, again, you said something embarrassing, didn’t say enough, you disappointed your kid, you took the wrong lane and it changed…everything…)
Scrutiny, self loathing, the velocity of skidding out. They’re getting in the way. How do you get back your vibe? How do you remember what’s true: that you are a talent, you have a commitment and drive, you’re the genius at this thing that’s yours, you’re onto something, it’s waiting for you to get back in and go.
Some of My Tools
Meditative exercise - Too angry and frustrated to get quiet? When that’s the case but I really want a way into that still place of Source energy, I’ll go for an out-and-back walk. I let the way out hear all of my mental scramble, emotional wreckage, inner doubts. The inflammation slowly goes down on the way out. Then, I’ll turn around and let the walk back be quiet, still. My tension is gone. The answers drift in. Schedules and strategies and, moreso, a lighter heart comes through. You can do this also with a craft or coloring or yard work or housecleaning. Set it up with all your frustration, then color it in with your return. Do the strenuous stuff with your tension, then do the spiffing and sweetening for your way back.
Microaction - Sometimes, I just can’t. But I know I want to, I have to. That’s when I figure out a microaction I can take to move in the direction of my creating. After a while, there are a series of microactions working as one, and I’m creating. A few years ago, the production of my book face planted so hard that it took me 18 months before I could surmount Shame Mountain and try it again. At that time, I made a little sound booth in my closet, so that I could record the read-aloud for edits. For a week, my microaction was simply to leave the light on in the closet, to remind me my creative set up was in there, ready for me when I was ready to take the next microaction. It worked. Eighteen months after that, my book went to print. What felt like a long time made of tiny actions turned out to be 18 months shorter than never leaving the light on.
Call a friend - I’ve been creating a long time, and still I forget it’s what I’m meant to be doing in the world. When I remember to, when I’m utterly stuck in the dark, I’ll call a good friend. It’s so easy to isolate your creative self, crowd it out in a million other things to say or do. When I share what’s happening, I’ll hear all manner of witness to my creative self, reminders in a familiar, beloved voice of the ways my creating has kept me alive, inspired others, built structures of belonging, made home places for me and others.
The list - This one is enduring. And it serves as a reminder that you made it through once you’re in the light again. Make a list of things that get you out of the dark. Make it visible, like, put it on your wall or keep a daily journal in which every page is this checklist. Consult your list and do one thing, check it off, and then do the next till you’re out of the dark. Even if they are the micro steps turning the dimmer from midnight to six, slowly, one shadow dissipates at a time and you’re back in the work you’re here to do.
Nature Helped Today
I set my timer for ten minutes in the backyard this morning while I listened to the birds and did a clearing meditation. For whoever needs to hear it today, here’s the thought that followed when I opened my eyes.
Trust and play.
Spider and squirrel.
Do the work and let it go.
Trust-fall knowing your safety is in you.
The Callback
High Vibe — Not a mask. Not a bypass. A pause, a check in, a grounding. A reckoning, a recalibration, a going forward in commitment.
A reminder — I got this. So do you. Let’s go.
Would love to learn some of your tools. How do you get your vibe back?