4 ways to shift your inner environment
written by Jasmine Irven
Cultivating our inner environment is so important to our mental health and wellbeing.
And when I use the term inner environment here, I’m using it as a very general term to refer to our thoughts and beliefs, energy, and self-talk.
All things that may influence how we feel, and therefore how we act and live our daily lives.
So often, we don’t pay much attention to this inner environment, unless something is really “off.”
But what if we were to bring more attention to how we’re feeling each day?
What if we were to intentionally check in with ourselves?
Noticing (but not judging) the thoughts and energy we’re allowing into our minds and bodies?
why intentional check-ins with our mind, body & soul are so important
It’s estimated we have up to 60, 000 thoughts per day and many of them are unhelpful, and repeated.
And when we have thoughts on loop, are comparing ourselves to others on social media, are constantly being “pinged” by work or friends, or are constantly being bombarded with information we need to filter through, it’s very common for us to be in a chronic state of stress.
Now, of course stress and having a stress response is important for times when we are genuinely in danger, but when we are in this state more often than not, we can start to experience feelings of dread, overwhelm, and anxiety, as well as having physical symptoms like inflammation and sickness arise.
Oftentimes nowadays there aren’t quick solutions to our stresses; we can’t simply run away from them. There aren’t clean yes or no answers that give us the ability to check situations off of our to-do list and move on.
So, we need to be more intentional about making time to check-in, slow down, take breaks, and move our bodies out of this state of fight or flight, into a state of rest and digestion.
This isn’t about avoiding our stresses and problems, but it is about taking time to acknowledge them and give space to kind of assess them, recognizing which ones are real and require our attention and which ones we are potentially creating for ourselves.
Because if we can take a look at what might be causing some of these thoughts, we can:
Sit with these feelings, allowing them to pass in their own time rather than resisting them
Recognize what they’re trying to tell us, and make changes in our lives accordingly
Or, if they serve little to no purpose (or have already served their purpose), work on letting them go, removing and clearing some of that mental clutter
And from this place of recognizing and releasing, we can make space for new intentions and feelings that we want to be experiencing; leaning into them, allowing them to be.
So, how do we begin to check in? Here are 4 ways to begin this process of bringing awareness to where we’re at, so we can start shifting our inner environment.
01 - notice how you’re speaking to yourself
Self-talk is that endless stream of unspoken thoughts running through our minds.
The reality is, we talk to ourselves more than we talk to anyone else.
And the reason our self-talk is so important is because how we’re talking to ourselves can have a huge impact on how we feel, what we believe, the actions we take, and subsequently the life we live.
For example, if you’re constantly being hard on yourself or doubting yourself, it’s going to be very challenging to feel any sort of “positive” emotions like motivation, excitement, and self-confidence.
Most of us have an inner critic and an inner coach. Our inner critic is often telling us why we can’t do things, it’s often discouraging, worrying, bringing up evidence of why things aren’t for us.
And our inner coach is the voice letting us know we can do things, encouraging us, looking for our wins, and celebrating ourselves.
Unfortunately, we tend to focus more often on our negative thoughts and self-talk, without recognizing that these thoughts are just one point of view and are simply based on our memories, assumption and biases.
They aren’t based in truth.
And because we can choose what to focus on; and because what we focus on is what we’ll see more of and find evidence for, we’re encouraging you to turn up the volume on your inner coach.
Try to catch yourself when you're speaking poorly to yourself and reframe those thoughts with affirmations or words of encouragement.
Or to simply ask yourself, is this thought 100% true? Where is there evidence that this thought is not true? Where have I proven this thought wrong in the past?
The more you do this the quicker you’ll become at catching yourself in these negative habit loops, and rewiring your brain to cultivate more encouraging thoughts.
02 - notice & actively shift your energy
We are energetic beings and so when we’re feeling off or stuck it’s often due to a shift in our energy and vibration. Movement, as well as practices like visualization and EFT (tapping) can help you to raise your vibration when you're feeling this way.
We’ve written a full blog post with 19 ways to raise your vibration that’s a great resource!
(And also there’s almost nothing a quick dance party can’t solve.)
03 - simply allow
Often feelings are coming up for a specific reason; they're letting us know that something in our life needs to change, or are helpful reminders of what we do and don't want in our lives.
But when we try to repress or avoid these emotions they stay stuck.
Instead, allow them to be and move.
Meditate or journal on what's there, exploring, noticing, and accepting.
Not only will you gain invaluable insights about yourself, but you'll often notice these feelings move through you much quicker, allowing you to regain your energy and move forward in a more intentional way.
04 - check-in with your external environment
I know we’re talking about our inner environment here, but the reality is that our external environment plays a huge role in how we feel internally.
There are 3 main ways I see this playing out.
PHYSICAL SPACE & CLUTTER
First, is your physical space. Does it inspire you? Are there items in it that you love and use? What is the energy of the space?
We’ve spoken before about the energy and vibration that clutter can hold, and since clutter is a very tangible thing to focus on, this is a great place to start.
Move through your space with intention, starting with the areas you spend the most time in. What’s no longer serving you? What could you bring in to raise the vibration of the space? What would make you feel good?
Sometimes it’s as simple as taking out the garbage or donating a few items you’re tired of looking at, and other times this process might look like physically moving apartments or cities.
The level at which you dive into this depends on what your body, mind and soul are trying to tell you. Just give yourself the time to listen.
CONSUMPTION
The second way I see our external environment really impacting our internal is through consumption.
And yes, this of course includes the foods you’re consuming – (that’s a whole other side of this conversation we’re not going to go into here but quickly, how are you treating your body?!) – but it also refers to content.
We live in an information age and as I alluded to at the beginning of this post, the constant connection and information overload is often overwhelming.
So, take a look at the content you’re consuming. What feels heavy? Where do you feel a lot of your time going?
On the other hand, what lights you up?
Where you can, lean more into that which gives you energy, and see where you can step away from anything that is really draining to you.
This isn’t about curating a “perfect environment” where there’s no stress or heartache – those things serve a purpose and it’s important to recognize where our privilege lies and where we need to lean into and do the uncomfortable work.
But it is also about looking at the mundane, daily things we consume that aren’t serving us.
THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU
The final area I wanted to chat about when it comes to our external environment is the people around us.
If you’ve ever heard the quote, “you’re the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with,” you know the general direction I’m going here.
The people around you can inspire and motivate you, push you forward, and encourage you, or they can discourage you, hold you back, and cause you to second guess yourself and your dreams.
Take stock of the people around you right now. How do you feel energetically when you’re with them? What about after you leave them?
Cultivating this supportive group of people in your life often takes time, so don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t have them yet. Focus on yourself and the life you want to be living and you’ll begin attracting those with a similar mission and vision.
And p.s. yes this might mean setting more boundaries and letting go of relationships and that’s also okay. It may be challenging but if you know it’s what’s right for your mental health and wellbeing, it’s worth it.
final thoughts & journal prompts
I want to end with a final reminder that we are not insinuating that you should be perfectly blissful and content all of the time.
Life is challenging, and experiencing a range of emotions is incredibly important for personal growth, learning, and living fully.
However, we are encouraging you to become more intentionally aware of how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, and where your energy is at throughout the day.
And we also want to let you know that there are ways you can shift your inner environment when you feel ready and called to. You don’t need to sit in energies or feelings that are unhelpful.
Instead you can listen to them, sit with them, recognize what they’re telling you, make adjustments, and move forward.
CONSIDER,
How have I been feeling lately?
What’s been giving me energy? What’s been draining my energy?
What’s been on my mind recently? Is my inner critic or inner coach louder? If my inner critic is louder, can I reframe some of this self-talk?
What are my feelings and/or energy levels telling me?
How can I move forward with more intention?
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
