August whispers change. But for those healing from generational trauma, that whisper can feel more like a roar.
What does a person do with a roar when they’ve been taught to stay silent?

A sea of green leaves with one red leaf to symbolize leadership in self-healing with the journal prompt What's one small act of self-nourishment you can choose today?

A wildfire of emotion rises—bound to the body and mind like something unwanted stuck to the sole of your shoe. This storm of possibility mixed with trepidation is unsettling. The time can be perfect enough to take your next or first step to heal from generational trauma.

Allow yourself to grieve and process your emotions. Notice your body’s inclination to retreat or lash out. Choose to pause and observe yourself.

Sometimes, especially when we have been shamed by domineering people, familial and other authority figures, our voice to choose has been silenced. Retreating was the only acceptable reply, so it became habitual.

Now it is challenging to know what we are feeling because we are so accustomed to surviving by being subservient. This is a perfect time to take a step to let that go—break your habit one tough emotion at a time!

Here’s how you can begin to unbind those emotions, one moment at a time:

· Label the emotion as best you can.

· Be with it.

· Let it out.

· Write it out.

· Speak it out to a trusted human.

· Emote.

Each time you name and release an emotion, you reclaim a piece of yourself.

Exposed emotion has no other choice than to transform into something better when you call it out. It can take patience and rounds of working out worry about change but with persistence, you can make change you love.

Note what you would like to see differently in your life. Perhaps it is a perception which can be rather grand—as ‘it was not my fault’.

Sometimes the newness you seek is subtle, like taking a new way to work; or instead of getting your housework done first, you treat yourself to a manicure or a nap or sitting on a park bench with your phone off until you feel like moving on—just because you FEEL LIKE IT.

Choosing to nourish yourself—feed your dreams first, before tending to others’ expectations—isn’t selfish. It’s sacred.

Like the lone red leaf in a sea of green, it’s a bold act of reclamation of your independence.

Putting yourself first may feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s necessary to heal your life and lead your new path.
Your true people will honor you—and follow your lead.

Receive the free Perfect Enough guide: Gentle Practices for Healing Generational Trauma and Shame: All About Creating a Life You Love to nurture yourself happy!

The Courage to Be the Red Leaf: Healing Generational Shame by Putting Yourself First

Permission to Pivot: Reclaiming Your Right to Shift