If you’re an introvert or somewhat introverted, you may find it uneasy to express yourself like me. We live in our heads so comfortably that sometimes we forget we also have other muscles outside of our brains that need to exercise when it comes to interpersonal communication. I’m not as confident as many would think (this often surprises people whenever I share it) and I don’t find myself going for the 'fake it until you make it' strategy — not because I’m being skeptical, it’s just not my thing. There are days that I really just want to shut down from everything and everyone when my mind becomes overwhelmed in the absence of having an outlet to let go of excessive thoughts and emotions. That is why learning to adjust my perspective on the fly and reverse-engineering the way my responding tendency would have run its natural course plays a critical role in allowing me to become better at expressing myself, not to mention it also helps me pick myself up again every time I fall and move forward. Therefore, I hope...
I hope you have the humility to unlearn what hasn’t been working for you and restart by learning the basics — how to improve your posture. Stand up straight. Shoulders back. Stomach in. Keep your head level. Chin up. Instead of forcing yourself to smile, try relaxing your mouth. Breathe. Relax your muscle tensions. Smile as you breathe out. Sing out loud. Move your body. Take up space. Believe it or not, these little reminders help boost your sense of self-confidence and disarm any unkind intentions towards you including those that come from within yourself.
I hope that you create your own creative outlets to channel your thoughts and feelings into some form of art — it doesn’t have to be perfect in the eyes of others, it just needs to be perfectly 'you'. It needs to serve the sole purpose of giving yourself a sense of liberation and that’s enough. You will learn that you’re helping others free themselves as you’re freeing yourself, but never forget that your service to others is a byproduct of living up to your truth for it’s not the other way around.
I hope you pay attention to the signals that every cell in your body sends over to you and listen to what they’re telling you. Understanding your body signals allows you to know yourself, think clearly, and sharpen your intuition — it trains you to identify what’s good and what’s bad for you, what clicks with you, what makes you tick; which helps you build a sustainable engine to express yourself in the most authentic way.
I hope you let your body language guide you in forming your words. Our bodies know what we want to say before we’re able to verbalize them (read more from 'The Extended Mind' by Annie Murphy Paul). Don’t be too quick to speak, your words often come out more eloquently when you’re at peace with the flow of your body movements. I make this mistake every time when I pay too much attention to what I’m going to say instead of what 'feels' right to say — the word 'feel' is key in expressing ourselves because, in order to truly do so, our verbal and physical expressions need to be synchronized.
I hope you learn to work with the electrical energies in your body. Pay attention to how they’re all connected with each other as it will help you entangle your issues and continue operating even when you’re feeling off-balanced. These energies boost your ability to express yourself while making time for solitude helps keep them sufficiently charged. It helps you comprehend how your body works yet also allows you to reset your energy when you need to or when other options run out.
I hope you lead with gratitude and intentionality instead of fear, as your strong sense of purpose and altruism will overshadow your shyness. Take risks — that’s where you’ll thrive and reap the rewards — growth doesn’t come from your comfort zone. Every time you fail to fully express yourself teaches you something important about your style. Embrace your personal style. Stay curious and nurture your inner child — that’s where it becomes fun and fascinating — not to mention playfulness keeps you forever young at heart. Be present with yourself starting from today instead of postponing it to tomorrow.
I hope you know that by truly expressing yourself, you’re letting go of many things that have been holding you back including your emotional baggage and time spent overthinking. You’re starting to glow up and feel a sense of expansiveness. Your energy lifts the room and becomes contagious. You attract what you project. In a way, by expressing yourself authentically, you’re stepping into your true power.
