I Was Lost But Now I’ve Found Me
Hello Everyone!ย Happy New Year, Everyone! Happy New Decade! Yay 2020!!! I hope you are doing well.ย I hope you find hope in my sharing my journey of feeling lost to feeling found. I understand, I care, and I found ways to heal that perhaps can help you too.
10 years ago today I started this blog!ย It was a new beginning for me as the blog helped me to find my voice as a writer; as a coach, mentor, and spiritual counselor for other highly sensitive souls and empaths with childhood wounds; and just …as a person, a soul, a human being on the planet! I did not realize I had started my blog at the beginning of a decade! I did not realize until yesterday how serendipitous and special it is that I started my blog at the beginning of the previous Decade!ย Wow exactly 10 years ago! I was 48 then and felt kind of old and yet unaccomplished and green.ย I am 58 now and I feel younger than I did at 48 …and in fact younger and happier than when I was in my 30s!ย 2020 vision and clarity is ahead for us all–a new hopeful path is emerging before our very eyes! I invite you to get out your journal or think back to january 2010 and look at how far you have come.ย Please share your healing journey in the comments belowย or if you resonate with realizing you started some positive changes or awarenesses in your life in 2010.
I found my true soul’s purpose as a result of writing this blog and an ability to express myself that had long been hidden inside me. When I started I had no idea how importantly the work I did on this blog would impact my life. I remember thinking, if I could just help one other person with what I’ve learned on my journey then this blog would be a success. Such a valuable thing to learn I think because I had low expectations so when the blog gained momentum and had lots of engagement it gave me so much confidence! The success of beginning my career as a life coach on the blog lead me to following my intuition and trusting my own inner guidance at deeper and deeper levels.
I was helping others through sharing my journey through a pen name at first–using my middle name, I was known as Elaine back then. At the height of my coaching career, I then started writing more and more songs, going to open mic nights, met musician friends in my area, and overcame my terrifying fear of singing alone on stage in public. I started performing around Indianapolis and getting paid for it and made an album of original songs that is on all the Worldwide music platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.
While I deeply loved my blog, my coaching and my clients, my heart was torn in 2 directions. I realized I had to put all my songs under my legal name and until then they had been divided–half were songs about inner child healing under the name of Elaine. When I changed my name on the blog and stopped writing as regularly, the blog audience changed and grew as I changed and grew. Even when I didn’t write for a few years on this blog, the old posts continued to get readers and new followers and I continued to get emails from grateful sensitive souls who felt their childhood wounds had been “seen” and their inner feelings “voiced”.
My journey took a spiritual turn as the intuitive abilities helped me realize many of my songs and blog posts had been “channeled” by me–I realized I was co-creating with the help of my higher self. My soul’s purpose grew to include being an energy healer, and the training and certification I received as a Reiki Practitioner in 2012 was fitting beautifully with my channeling abilities, and I attracted opportunities for office space to do this Reiki work and Intuitive work in Indianapolis. Now, in addition, the music and the Reiki are fitting together as I learn about sound healing and things like Reiki-infused music and music-infused Reiki. It is so amazing to me how life unfolds in ways that amaze but we somehow get glimpses of what could be, yet we don’t know how we can get to our dreams and yet the dreams unfold into yet even better dreams and magical abilities.
We also all have so many unexpected hardships along the way and think we are off track sometimes, but I believe it is these very hardships and side roads that make us stronger–strong enough for the next thing that our higher self has planned for us! The last 2 years have been an upheaval for me, revealing unhealthy patterns in me that I couldn’t see without some shake-ups and re-formulating in some very close relationships.
But it all makes sense now–if you have painful childhood wounds you need to relearn how to bond with people with pure love at the core. I have even more self-compassion for my wounds, even more strength to observe them and release them and grow stronger with each layer of emotional pain from the past that presents itself.
The result is a really strong foundation at my core, an independence and confidence to stand on my own 2 feet, and empowerment that is not codependent on a partner or children, or a role, or achievement in life but in a power of being that is centered, grounded, and wise with knowing that I am worthy of having it all just by being. And that we are all worthy of having it all and I LOVE helping others to get to this same feeling of wholeness and vitality and creative expression.
Whew! What a ride the last 10 years have been! The first 3 years of this blog contain the meatiest, most substantial posts in my opinion so I am going to be reblogging those posts on the day that they were posted 10 years ago as they come up. I will also be posting updates in the present day too interspersed with these older blog posts.
So here is the very first blog post from the first day I signed up for the wordpress site– I was back then just learning to navigate the brand new wordpress world (and with my very first laptop computer too–I was still just learning the computer) at that time–my youngest child was now settled in college.
The first post was lyrics to an original song that expressed the hope I felt at going from “lost” to “found”. Thank you to all of you who follow me and to any of you who have followed me from the very beginning, I am sending you big hugs!!! ๐๐๐I’d love a comment or a hello from you!! Please join me in celebrating my 10 year anniversary of teaching and learning self-compassion through this blog–all the way from Elaine to Roxanne Elaine. I will continue to write here to share my journey to comfort and encourage all who resonate with this community of Hope and Healing. I’m so grateful to all of you who read my blog. Again I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul.
Wishing you a wonderful Happy New Year Celebration!! ๐๐ Yay!! It’s 2020!!๐คฉ
A new Beginning for us all.
Sending you comfort, caring, inner peace, love and light,
and Encouragement to Enjoy Life, and Permission to Party!!
Look how far you’ve come!! ๐๐๐บโฃ๏ธ
Roxanne โ๏ธ๐๐ถ๐โจ
My very first post, Dec. 30, 2009:ย
I Was Lost But Now Iโve Found Me
Lyrics by Roxanne Smith
I am strong but they canโt see me
I am wise but they canโt hear me
I am kind but they canโt feel me
I was lost but now Iโve found me
I can see the truth in me
I can feel the love in thee
I can have the strength I lost begin again
Your belief in me makes me free
CHORUS
I am sad and you are there to hold me
I am weak and you are there to guide me
I am scared and you are there to love me
I was lost but now Iโve found me
I can be all that I can be
Overcome the fear they gave me
When all I feel is lost and unaware
You are there to say you care
Whenโฆ
View original post 111 more words
To All Highly Sensitive Souls–You Are Loved
You Are Loved
Lyrics by Roxanne Smith
I once was lost but then I opened up my heart
It took time to see my journeyโs sad start
Strength in me came with feelings inside
Courageous purging with joy on the other side
Somehow I know that love is all there is
Inside every dark and painful fear is bliss
This I know because I left no stone unturned
I face the pain when the bottom was learned
It lays waiting until you let it go
Forgiving those who donโt connect with their soul
The soul has answers and comfort and love
Go within to hear angels from above
Chorus:
They surround each and every breathing heart
You are loved every day right from the start.
You are loved, you are loved, you are loved, you are loved
You are loved, you are loved, you are loved, you are loved
Repeat from the beginning
Add end (slowing)
You are loved, you are loved, you are loved, you are loved
Original Song ยฉ 2017 Roxanne Smith
Hello Everyone! I am sharing this song to the public for the first time here on this blog. It’s such a personal song I have not performed it yet, waiting for the perfect audience, the right moment. You all, however are the perfect audience for lyrics like these.ย Here on this blog I feel comfortable letting it all hang out and feel proud of the healing journey I am on with all it’s ups and downs but always “with joy on the other side”.
I just saw that it has been since April 5 that I have put out a blog post and I apologize for that! Time has been flying by since I decided to start my life coaching business back up. I just completed designing my brand new life coaching website.ย I’m happy to report that this blog has gotten over 45 new followers in just the last 2 months even though my recent posts were short and not really up to my standards yet.ย So I am getting the message that my blog posts here are important and to make them a priority in my life!
I am very excited about this.ย I love talking to you all!ย I love giving hope to all of you like-minded souls out there who resonate with my message of hope and healing to become your highest selves! We strive to be our healthiest, kindest, most confident, and helpful to the planet while being complex and highly sensitive souls who often feel we don’t fit in with others. We are overcoming deep-seated negative feelings and beliefs from the past that keep popping up out of the blue just when things are going well.ย Phew!ย Why are we so hard on ourselves when we already know that extreme self-care makes so much difference in our lives?
Time to pull back again. Get quiet. Go inward. Write out ALL your feelings with self-compassion as if you are writing to your most trusted friend in the world who really GETS you! Be your own container when you can’t find a safe person to vent to.ย We all need to vent all the frustration we are feeling about EVERYTHING! I had a surprising amount of anger to release in April. It was all about codependency issues that I thought I had healed long ago.ย Surprise!–there was more! Releasing it all (which was not easy) moved me to a new place of strength and independence at the core of me that I didn’t know existed.ย And the month of May… well it’s starting out with a virus from some recent airplane travel that has got me layed up and resting to clear it all out.ย So all my exciting plans for coaching and more performing are on hold while I rest and clear out this virus and with it lots of emotions too. My intuition tells me I’ve moved to a new level of vibrational success so I need to clear out more …whatever! ๐ณ I’m not as frustrated as I am fascinated and trusting that whatever happens it will be for a good reason.
Sometimes things are so hard and then we get through it and see the silver lining that was there all along. And that is that We Are Loved.ย We are loved from above. We are here for a good reason.ย We are highly sensitive souls who are here on the planet at this time because the planet needs our gifts, our light, our true essence. We can relax and just BE and know we are loved.
Just being here is enough.ย You don’t have to do anything–just heal and learn to love ourselves.ย If we really GET this we can recharge and become strong and then we have more energy to give more light and love to others. But we can’t do it if we don’t love ourselves first. Let the love in that is beaming down for you at all times. Believe it.
And if you can’t believe it at least be OPEN to the possibility. Let down your guard and allow the possibility that your guardian angel/spirit guide/God/ Universe/Highest Selfย just might be sending you messages of love and comfort through your intuition.ย They just might be sending you guidance on your next steps for the highest good of your soul.ย Follow your heart to hear the inner guidance. Hear it? It is saying, You Are Loved! Exactly as you are! You don’t have to change yourself, you only need to love yourself. Let that sink in. Marinate in that truth for a while.ย I’m sending all of you so much comfort, caring, and encouragement to see your unique gifts as highly sensitive souls.ย I’ll be writing more uplifting blog posts soon so stay tuned.
With love and light ๐ย โจ,
Roxanne ๐ย ๐ถ
Perfectionism, The Highly Sensitive Person, and How Grieving Our Childhood Pain Is Essential To Healing
ย
Hi everyone.ย I hope you are enjoying the summer.ย I hope you are not heaping lists of ย “shoulds”ย on yourself (home improvements etc.) to accomplish–only toย realize, “What was I thinking?! ย I can’t do all this stuff!–the KIDS are home!”ย ha ha.ย Yes I remember, and I still do it somewhat but this summer is SO much better. ย Back then it was a priority for me to make happy,ย fun summer memories for my children and connecting with them emotionally.ย I always ended up throwing out my long list of shoulds.ย If you don’t, you end up saying to yourself,ย “I didn’t get this done and I didn’t get that done.ย Instead make a list of all the things you DO accomplish after they happen–write down each special conversation, each walk in nature, each memorable meal together etc.ย By the end of the summer you will have aย wonderfulย memoir of how special your summer actually was instead of a list of what you didn’t get done.
Evenย with my best efforts when my children were growing up, Iย was too busy satisfying their needs for a fun summerย and way too manyย “shoulds” for myself thatย I often felt like I missedย it–summer would just zip by me and I was left feeling regret.
I think often times we are busy like that to avoid our painful feelings that we may have experienced in childhood. We found ways to cope and survive the lack of love, encouragement, acknowledgement, and acceptance we all desperatelyย wanted and needed.ย We are perfectionists, compulsive over-workers, compulsive shoppers, compulsive list-makers, and then call ourselves procrastinators because we put things off–but it’s really because we have unrealistic expectations of what we need to accomplish.
As highly sensitive children, it seemed to us that nothing we ever did was praised or applauded as we deserved unless it was something others wanted us to be doing.ย This was so confusing to us so we rationalized that we must not be doing enough or doing it well enough.ย Now when we overwork because of perfectionism it is because we are still trying to fill an unmet need from childhood–one that will never be met but can be resolved if we allow our sadness about the truth of it all to come to the surface.ย Grief is a positive, healthyย emotion that is necessary to heal your childhood wounds.ย You deserved so much more–you deserved…”love”.ย You did not get what you felt you needed and you may feel you are still not getting it.ย The problem is not with you…you are so loveable!ย Aren’t you!ย You know it.ย You are smiling right now aren’t youย because you know it on some deep level. ๐ย That is the truth that you must listen to.ย The love you need and deserve exists–we know what we deserved.ย ย
For some reason, we may feel we were born into situations where we couldn’t get love the way our souls needed to be loved.ย I had a hard time resolving this–it didn’t make sense.ย I was drawn to reading a lot of new age books on spirituality to figure this out.ย ย Reading all these books really helped me get a new perspective.ย I now believe that I may have more innate inner strength than certain family members.ย I am able to grow and give to others even more because of my childhood wounds. We (HSPs) see the truth, we KNOW we deserve love and better treatment and we know we don’t deserve feeling bad about ourselves any longer.ย When someone sees you as LESS THAN and you know youย deserve more–you don’t have to be around that person. ย You may need to try a few times to get them to see you and understand you, but if you keep on coming up short in their eyes, and this is causing you a great deal of stress, then it’s time to distance yourself from them and get some healing support. Some of us can’t even tryย to be ourselves with them–it’s too excruciating to re-experience the rejection, so we must just leave for as long as it takes so that we can begin to heal.
We all NEED acceptance.ย It’s very important to look elsewhere for people who accept you and understand your self-expression for support.ย We (HSPs)ย eventually grow from the pain of it all, and we learn to rely on our selves if we can get away from the negativity that unhealthy family members, bullies, and/or societyย use to control us and keep us DOWN.ย They know we are different and special and yet maybe they are not as evolved as we areย and so it seems they do not have the inner strength to say,ย “Wow you have these great gifts of sensitivity and awareness and depth–you are different from us, you should go out into the world and share your knowledge, vision, gifts, and message of love and peace to the world–we understand and we are in awe of you.ย So GO, fly away and be theย best that you can be!” ha ha Wouldn’t that be the greatest to hear anyone say that!?!
In order for them to say that to us, they would have to be very secure and love themselves a lot (or be an HSP like you). ย It could be they don’t love themselves at all. They may want to control us because they have so much pain and if we leave themย it makes them feel their pain so they blame us.ย They may not have the “insight” to see what we see or want what we want and to see that their pain has nothing to do with us.ย We are holding ourselves back, waiting for their permission to leave.
Reading the books on spirituality helped me to believe that my spirit (everyone’s spirit) ย is going to live for all eternity and the lessons I learn in this lifetime will never be forgotten.ย I believe we all evolve at different levels and different speeds and some of us souls are more advanced than others.ย We (HSPs)ย are continuously healing our post traumatic stress from our very real childhood wounds, andย it is necessary for us to separate from those who caused these wounds and move forward toward new healthier people. ย We must not feel guilty for healing–I believe GOD wanted us to be all that we can be and he is with us in all our healing.ย We each have different limits to what negativity we can be around–we need to honor these limits and take care of ourselves whateverย it takes! ย Alice Miller often talksย about the “never-ending work of mourning” in her books and how importantย the grieving process is for our recovery–we must accept it as essential to our healingย and to our eventualย freedom fromย our inner-prison of self-doubt.
ย Perhaps our highly sensitive souls are more evolved and we chose (with the gift of God’s free will)ย to have these experiences in this lifetime to learn about the pain of rejection and about our own strength in overcoming it.ย Maybe we chose them so we could learn what not to do to our own children and develop empathic skills to help others by surviving such treatment as children. I know that I am finally glad to be me, and I am proud of myself for all that I have figured out and how this knowledge has helped a lot of other people toย heal.ย
The grieving process has opened my life up to the most wonderful feelings of joy, love, and trust in my creativity, and this is what keeps me going in this direction.ย When I love and value myself and my feelings, all of them, I have more to give others to help them to heal as well.ย I believe we are all highly sensitive for a very special reason and may need to heal separately from our families until we are strong enough to not be triggered and to give back to others…others who are ready to heal and ready to feel.
With support we can grieve for not getting the love we feel we needed and we can have a happy, healthy, guilt-free, andย independentย life.ย The joy and relief you will feel when you allow yourself to grieve will feel wonderful and so you will know you are going in the right direction.ย If you need help grieving and someone to listen, this is what this blog community is here for. ย Thank you sensitive souls out there for being here on the planet.ย ย
Thank you to all my commenters for sharing your pain and experiences and encouragement–your words are so helpful to others who have not yet found their voice.
Please also check out my new pages calledย “Portrait of an INFJ, …INFP, and …INTJ”. ย Very many of my clients have turned out to be these three temperament types (but not all) and I believe it would benefit those who are to read the description of your true potential as was written in Keirsey and Bates book on temperament types. (See Recommended Books).ย It certainly gave me hope when I read it and I hope it does the same for you. ย
With love,
Roxanne
Techniques for Journaling and Over-riding Your Inner Critic–For The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
Hi everyone.ย I’m happy to be back. ย Iย had a wonderful vacation and it is also great toย be back home.ย I am feeling renewed and energetic nowย (fiveย days after we returned) ย but I was extremely exhausted when we first got back.ย And my husband bouncedย right back after like one day–and so, comparing myself to him,ย I was feeling very much lost and empty and discouraged….ย and then startedย wondering how will I ever write another post and even…how didย I ever write all that stuff I already wrote–I was spiraling negative thoughts again–my inner critic took over!ย And it was so hard to decipher–I just felt bad and exhausted with no hope in sight.ย So I wrote in my journal andย it helped!–so I thought I would share with you my technique.
First of all, in journaling you must tell yourself that no one is going to read this ever! –and mean it and believe it.ย Then you let loose with all your feelings.ย I started out saying ” I feel horrible!ย ย I can’t remember who I am or how to feel good.”ย Within 2 sentences though I remembered, ” I used to feel this way all the time as a child.”ย And then, “Oh yes this is childhood pain coming up to heal.ย I just had a wonderful vacation!ย My inner child is expecting to be punished.”ย Then my own compassion kicks in withย ” I need to be extra nice to myself.ย I am being too hard on myself.ย Do nice things for myself today.ย I am a highly sensitive person.ย No wonder I am tired–vacations are highly stimulating–just give myself extra time.ย Everything is going to be okay.”ย ย Before long I am cheering myself up.ย I have over-ridden my inner critic–that negative voice inside my head.ย This process always amazes me because I feel like I should be “fixed” by now and should never feel bad again.ย But that is the negative voice in my head–the pressure from my mother to “be happyย — just get over it, you are too sensitive blah, blah, blah.” ย That is the opposite of what I needed as a highly sensitive child.ย On vacations I would get overwhelmed, over-tired with all the new sights and activities.ย I know I deserved kindness instead of impatience, rest instead of guilt for slowing them down, compassion for my ability to see the beauty in the small things like nature instead of annoyance about my questions and my disappointment in their lack of carefulness with my feelings.ย There was nothing wrong with me.ย There is nothing wrong with me now.ย My only mistake was believing them when they blamed me.ย I don’t believe them and choose to be around people who are safe and kind and who like me easily.ย My husband is one of those people and was the first to remind me to not be so hard on myself and to take it easy.ย He was right.
Do not be discouraged if this technique of journaling does not come so easily to you yet.ย This takes a long time and lots of effort deciphering the truth of what you went through and what you truly deserved as a highly sensitive child.ย The book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is SO helpful in guiding people through the journaling process that helps unblock creativity (finding your voice and your true self!)
Many different techniques help me to find my voice and vitality again.ย Sometimes it is playing my songs when I am feeling so lost I don’t remember being able to write songs. ย Reading your own journal helps too especially if you are the kind of journaler who ends up feeling hopeful after you write.ย (You have to makeย yourself do it–it doesn’t come natural to read your own stuff when you are feeling bad about yourself–you’ll be surprised how your own words lift your spirits.)ย Other times I read books or blogs by people with a compassionate voice and I recover my own compassionate voice.ย Elaine Aron wrote the book on “The Highly Sensitive Person” and was the catalyst that started the HSP support groups that have grown and spread in cities and online.ย Online, I read her article on “the problem of bearing an unbearable emotion” that she wrote in her newsletter for Feb. 2006ย and Iย immediately felt “found and validated” just by her compassionate words–my energy came back and I was excited about my life again.ย I hope my blog does the same for you.
I was fortunate to haveย some time to find myself and work on myself and read self-help books and write in journalsย while my children were growing up because my husband was so grateful that I was home raising emotionally healthy kids–he is a “thinking” type although a highly sensitive guy (an INTJ),ย whereas I am a “feeling” type (an INFJ).ย ย (See the book by Keirsey and Bates in my Recommended Books section for a test on temperament types.)ย ย He had an even more difficult childhood than I did and is grateful for my compassionate ways.ย ย When I think of how far I have come, it feels rather miraculous so I want so much to help others who are as lost and hiding as I was.ย I believe that those of us who are the most sensitive and almost destroyedย are anย important resource to this planet if we can join together and rise up as a voice of love, peace, and compassion.ย The fact that you are feelingย beaten down is the very indicator that your sensitive ways have been misunderstood and need to be put to better use.ย All you need is a witness to validate the injustices youย have suffered and then you can rise up and start speaking your mind and being a messenger of compassion that the world needs.ย DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE!ย You are exactly the way you are supposed to be.ย Be kind to yourself and learn to love yourself.
Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life is a book I have been reading on and off for 15 years.ย The positive affirmations in her book I use daily now but felt so foreign to me when I first got the book.ย One of my favorites is “I give myself permission to be the best that I can be”.ย Growing up I was not allowed to express my authentic selfย (or be my best) because it threatened my narcissistic mother and she would withdraw her love and approval.ย My mother was jealous of my many gifts.ย I didn’t know I had any gifts at allย because sheย was determined to control me and keep me close and, in her view,ย if I knew I was gifted I might leave her.ย That whole concept was hard for me to grasp because it would never occur to me to be that way or be jealous of a child of mine–it is my responsibility to help my child see all his/her gifts and how special he/she is.ย So this explains why I couldn’t have compassion for myself–I trustedย so completely in my mother.ย And also then came the question “why would God give me a mother who was so manipulative and unloving?”ย That was another chapter in my life that I nowย have completely resolved.ย God did not arrange for me to have this emotional pain and hardship but has given me the inner strength and compassion to overcome it and become strong.ย Had I not had a mother like that I would not be reaching out to help others who also experienced a mother like that right now in this moment.
In this moment, I am happy and complete and grateful for all the pain I went through to make me this strong.ย But while I was in the pain and lost and alone and not knowing how to let God’s love in, I was not grateful–no way!ย But there was a pivotal moment when I was crying in despair that I became aware that no one but me was going to rescue me–of the two of us, my husband and I, I was the stronger one emotionally.ย Somethingย Eckhart Tolle said in his book A New Earth helped a lot.ย He said something to the effect of… I am not all that happens to me–I am ” the presence” that observes all that happens to me….ย It made me realize I am not this abused child who is forever a victim.ย I am all the wisdom from what I have learned from it and can comfort my inner abused child through it.ย I still keep learning it over and over and each time it gets easier to find myself again.ย So do not give up.ย You who are hiding and afraid to speak up–it’s okay and you have every right to be afraid.ย But that it is not all of you.ย You have a gift, a wisdom, a compassion, that is sorely needed in the world.ย Don’t let the bullies and controllers and competitorsย win.ย They are not like you and so cannot understand you.ย But you can understand you!ย You are on this planet for a reason exactly as you are.ย Change only the people you are around.ย Elaine Aron says that HSPs have an easier time overcoming depression just by changing our environment to being around people who love us and accept us as we are.ย She says “get out of competitive environments where you have to fear that you will be judged, rejected, or seen as a failure,ย and stay around those who like you.”ย ย (see her newsletter the Comfort Zone , and the article called “A Few Happy Things Regarding Depression”). ย I am adding her website to my blogroll.ย It is hsperson dot com. ย I hope I have helped you to feel more hopeful and happy.ย You deserve it.ย You are a highly sensitive person and that my friend is a gift.ย Thank you to my readers.
With love,
Roxanne
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