There are several indicators for how well I’m doing at any given moment. Thanks to my recent breakthroughs, these have become easier to notice and, overall, they’ve been more consistent than before. Without further ado, here are 6 signs I’m doing well.
- My voice. This is the clearest and most noticeable sign of my emotional state. When I’m feeling stressed, my voice is shallow, weak, strained, and often cuts out on me. When I’m feeling calm, my voice is rich, strong, effortless, and withstands a lot of talking. Others have pointed out that my voice sounds more chill, grounded, and strong when I’m at peace; the opportunity for easy social feedback makes this an extra valuable indicator.
- Background anxiety. I used to feel a lot of anxiety even outside of stressful situations. All the inner work I’ve done has greatly reduced that anxiety to a level that’s usually hard to notice until it’s gone, such as after I get out of a great float. Lately, however, that background anxiety has been almost entirely absent, including in stressful situations. Whenever it’s gone, I feel a deep sense of peace almost all the time.
- Saying “no”. For most of my life, I’ve found it hard to say “no”. Even when I’ve managed to say it, I often couldn’t hold to it against even the slightest bit of pressure. Releasing a lot of fear as of late has made it much easier to say “no” and stand behind it since (for the most part) I no longer fear the repercussions of doing so.
- Stressful experiences. While I do think I will someday get to a point of not feeling stressed at all, I do still feel occasional stress. However, the remaining stress is much lighter than it once was and I’m able to move past it much more quickly and easily now. This allows me to handle stressful experiences much more effectively, such as by thinking better on my feet, quickly finding solutions, and interacting with other people in a clearer way.
- Body position. I’ve slouched for most of my life, especially when sitting. Feeling a lot of negativity reinforces that posture. In contrast, feeling a lot of positivity makes me more inclined to stand tall, sit up straight, and generally pay more attention to how I hold myself.
- Breathing. I do my best to take deep breaths through my nose. That’s much easier when I’m feeling calm and breathing that way tends to help me continue feeling calm. When I feel stressed, I tend to take shallow breaths through my mouth, which tends to make me feel even more stressed. The better I feel, the easier it is to breathe in a healthy way.