Your shadow self keeps you feeling stuck because you refuse to accept your duality! Whatever you see yourself as you are also the opposite.
The shadow self is a collection of traits you judged and subconsciously pushed away. Meaning that your shadow self isn’t the reason you’re stuck.
You’re stuck because of the way you judge and neglect those hidden parts of yourself!
If you see yourself as polite, you must acknowledge that sometimes you want to be assertive.
You may consider yourself open-minded, but you also have to accept that you can be rigid.
All of us have a shadow self.
The harsh reality?
One of those hidden traits could be the secret to changing your life for the better.
Stay with me until the end and you’ll find 3 key questions to ask yourself that will help you get unstuck!
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links and purchase at no additional cost to you.
What Is The Shadow Self?
Your shadow self is the part of you that you have rejected and neglected so much that you push it outside of your conscious awareness.
It’s made up of the parts of you that you learned to hide in childhood because they weren’t acceptable to the people around you.
And because they’ve gone unnurtured for so long, they begin to distort the way you see the world.
And you haven’t even noticed!
The term shadow self was created by psychologist Carl Jung. One of the few who combined psychological and spiritual practices.
The shadow self is a personification of these traits that we consider “bad”.
You can read more about Carl Jung’s Idea of the shadow self here.
The shadow self is also a spiritual concept. Because spirituality is a journey to find the true self, we cannot do so without acknowledging our shadow.
Carl tends to describe the shadow as our “inner evil“.
This makes sense because if left unchecked, our shadow does revolt.
But I think it has a damaging effect before that point.
The shadow self traits are difficult to identify because we can’t see them.
And if we can’t see them, we can’t heal them.
Which causes blind spots in our physical experience and leads to a feeling of being stuck!
Read More: How To Unlearn On Your Personal Growth Journey To Upgrade Your Life!
There is Hope To Heal The Shadow!
While I agree that the shadow self holds a lot of traits that society considers “bad”.
I think that the way we describe the shadow self is what keeps it in the shadow.
If we consider opposite traits as “evil” then it doesn’t help us create a better relationship with our shadow self.
So if you are going to heal, it’s super important that you’re objective!
The shadow self is just a part of you that you haven’t discovered and nurtured.
Buckle up! Because this is a no-judgment zone!
I talk more about this on youtube in my upcoming video Unlearn To Upgrade Series episode 2. I break down how I went about unlearning that my shadow self was “bad”.
Check it Out On My Youtube Channel!
The healing process can be painful. You gotta feel to heal!
And if you’re feeling stuck and can’t seem to find a way out, some shadow work may be the answer!
Let’s talk about how your shadow self is playing a role!
Refusing To Accept Your Shadow Keeps You SHALLOW!
The best characters are the ones who are more than just their “good” traits.
The most memorable ones are flawed.
Because their flaws make them relatable.
Think how boring superhero movies would be if they didn’t contradict themselves.
In most superhero movies, usually, the hero believes in the “good”.
They preach non-violence and treating others with respect.
But when the villain comes around, they quickly use violence in response to stop them.
There’s a duality.
And it’s why we’re drawn to it!
If you are living your life refusing to accept your duality. You’re subscribing to being the side-kick, the best friend, the character who gets written off early.
If you walk through life only accepting one side of you, you’re not allowing yourself to see the full spectrum of who you could be.
That’s why anti-heroes have become such a popular storyline because it’s known to ALL that they are not perfect.
But you’re rooting for them anyway!
Where are you living a one-dimensional life?
Well, it’s usually the part of your life where you’re currently feeling stuck.
Neglecting Your Shadow Self Blocks Paths You Could Follow.
Your shadow self can give you blind spots. Because these parts of you are outside of your awareness, so are the opportunities that each one holds.
For example, let’s say you consider yourself logical but not creative.
You know, the people who claim they’re more left-brained than right-brained.
So you’ve never nurtured your creative side.
You believed it wasn’t in you. And one day your “logical mind” shares a brand new potential business idea with a friend.
Your friend loves the idea and says you should pursue it and create your own business. But because you don’t consider yourself “creative enough” to build a business, you don’t pursue it.
Then sometime later, someone else follows that idea you had and succeeds. Now everyone is praising them for how creative their original idea was.
That’s how not acknowledging your shadow self can block pathways to where you want to be.
Working through that shadow trait would have shown you that you ARE creative.
Download These Free Journal Prompts To Unlock Your Authentic Desires!
You created something where there was nothing with that initial idea! It was your creative side begging to be seen!
But because your creativity wasn’t nurtured, you couldn’t see it!
When healing, you open yourself up to the idea that you are logical AND creative.
A new beginning opens up.
And that “stuck” feeling disappears!
Not Acknowledging Your Shadow Keeps You In What Is “Familiar”
You are feeling stuck because you keep falling into the familiar. The things that keep you comfortable.
Don’t worry!
We all do it. It’s by design.
It’s one of those habits that’s innately in us for survival.
But because we are human, we can transcend living in survival mode.
It’s extremely easy to forget that “comfortable” doesn’t always mean it is right for you.
I decided to leave my job and pursue my passion full time.
(Which is being here! With you!)
The career I was in was comfortable, but I didn’t actually enjoy it.
The comfort was in the consistent income and the fact that I knew what I was getting into most days.
No surprises. Just routine.
And as someone who has been on a journey to change my life and live fully no matter what challenges come up eventually, that “comfort” became unbearably uncomfortable.
The awareness that I was doing it just for the paycheck was eating me alive.
I couldn’t make peace with my decision until I shined a light on a specific part of my shadow self.
Part of me believes that to achieve what I want in the future, I have to suffer through what I don’t want in the present.
To live my life the way I wanted, later on, I had to persevere through doing things I don’t want to do.
Now that I am challenging that aspect of my shadow self, I’ve been able to access a peace that I’ve never experienced before.
It’s made life more hopeful and exciting and opened a pathway that’s unfamiliar but also encouraging!
Where have you challenged yourself to try something unfamiliar lately?
Are there any beliefs hiding out in your shadow that are keeping you stuck in your routine?
Try Shaking it up with my FREE 5 Minute Morning Routine Habit Tracker!
Based on my Build a Better Morning Routine Journal Series.
Conclusion
The feeling of being stuck can be frustrating and draining.
I’ve been there all too often.
But it’s important to remember there’s always a way out. It just may not look how you think it should look.
Sometimes moving forward requires us to take a look at ourselves objectively.
It requires us to come to terms with some uncomfortable truths that may temporarily flip our world upside down.
But they are the key to truly living the life you were meant to live.
Next time you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself 3 things.
- Am I accepting the duality within me?
- Is it possible that I have a blind spot?
- Am I only choosing the familiar options?
Start asking these questions, and you’ll see a dramatic difference!
Thanks for reading!
As Always I’m Sending Love and Healing Your Way!
Leave a Reply