The other day I had a moment of exasperation combined with a thought: “I just don’t want to be adulting right now!” It can feel so hard sometimes to successfully navigate life.

In times of stress, as much as we want to be functioning at a high vibration, we’re vulnerable to choosing our conditioned patterns of coping, like: Numbing out, overdoing, poor boundaries, unhealthy eating, substance use, being overly passive or overly controlling.  All of which work temporarily, but don’t create deep, long lasting change.  We get a moment of relief followed by another round of anxiety, physical pain, depletion, or some other form of repetitive turmoil. 

But at any moment we can shift from surviving to thriving, from limitation to co-creation.  With commitment and consistent action, each challenge can be a portal to Claiming Our Voice and aligning with our true potential.

Here are 5 ways to Shift Into a State of Joyful Expansion:

1. Connect daily with people and communities who are in the vibration that you want to be in and who motivate you to raise your vibration.

This might be a live person, an excerpt from a book, or an inspirational video.

Martin Van Doorn writes:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.  The people you spend the most time with shape who you are. They determine what conversations dominate your attention. They affect to which attitudes and behaviors you are regularly exposed. Eventually you start to think like they think and behave like they behave.

It follows that you can accelerate your personal growth in whatever direction you desire by spending time with people who already are who you want to become. That will infect you with the behaviors and attitudes that helped them achieve their success, making it more likely that you will realize similar results in your life.”

2. Track your conditioned self with loving compassion, and do practices to pivot from Conditioned Self to Authentic Self.

Mindset shift is everything.  Sometimes awareness can be all that’s required to move from limiting beliefs and behaviors to seeing possibility and making a different choice.  But if you need more oomph, then make sure to ground and connect with Source energy.  For example, do an embodiment practice, a guided meditation, walk barefoot in the grass, pick a Tarot Card, and/or turn to #1, connecting with someone who can reflect a Divine wisdom and a Higher Truth. 

3. Do something every day that scares you.

The conditioned self loves to hang out in familiar discomfort and keep doing the same things with the same results.  So do at least one thing every day that stretches you outside your comfort zone but that’s also connected to your soul dreams and Big Vision.  Remember:  Our Big Vision is what lights us up inside and what’s wanting to be expressed through us.  It’s our soul desires that lead us to the most meaningful and fulfilled life.  Following them increases our ability to trust our instincts.

4. Work with Flower Essences.

I am endlessly amazed by the magic of this plant medicine.  Knowing that I have them as an ally, I never feel alone.

The flower essences help let go of what’s no longer serving, handle the present circumstances and feelings with more ease and grace, and co-create what’s next from a place of open hearted possibility.

5. Release attachment to how you wish it were, and commit to learning and growing from what it is.

There is a critical balance of goal setting and Divine Timing.  If you’re feeling frustrated or impatient or disappointed, it’s ok to feel those feelings as long as you don’t get stuck in them.  Chances are you’re in your conditioned self, and you’re not celebrating the steps you’ve made, or you’re getting too caught up in a particular result.  Remember the paradox of change: Loving ourselves unconditionally where we are, while working towards the change we wish to experience.  Most importantly, be fierce about transformation, which means trusting that whatever emerges is an opportunity to learn and grow and move the needle towards your most meaningful and fulfilled life.