Can I go a little deeper this morning? I hope you don’t mind.

Who are you behind your mask? Lets go a little deeper…

I have learned over the years that when we are truly authentic with those around us we in turn give them permission to be who they truly are.

Have you ever been around someone who you could tell was putting on a show? Maybe that person is you.

It is an uncomfortable feeling to always have to be “on” and try to be what you think the world wants you to be. In order to keep up this charade you can expect to miss out on your true purpose in life, be drained of your mental and physical energy, and be full of anger and resentment.

I think the worst thing we can do is deny the experiences that have brought us to the point we are at today. I feel this keeps us stuck and wearing a mask(s) to hide who we truly are. If you have been on my page for any amount of time you know that I overcame tremendous abuse as a child. Those things I endured and the messages I received way back then shaped me into the person I am today. I had to do a lot of hard emotional work to undo the damage that the abuse caused.

What was spoken into your life way back then that is still playing in your mind today? When your “inner critic” starts in on you what is it that you are hearing? that you are no good? worthless? unacceptable just as you are? what is it you are hearing?

I believe that we must address the past in order to make sense of the present. Any form of abuse, be it physical, emotional, or sexual as a child will dramatically change you as a person. Some of the behavior you’re engaging in today is a direct result of that trauma. I want you to know that you’re not this defective individual and that the ways in which you cope to numb the guilt and shame [drinking, drugging, compulsive eating, promiscuity, cutting, failed relationships, etc] are pretty typical for a survivor of abuse.

It is my hope that you won’t allow fear to stop you from addressing those things that may be holding you back and causing problems for you today. I love working with people and over the last decade as a personal trainer I saw that most of the people who came to me for weight loss, etc. were really searching for something much deeper then weight loss. That is the reason why I changed my major from kinesiology to psychology. I also used exercise as a means to heal. It allowed me to lose almost 100lbs and gain some self-confidence. This helped me to take the next step in my journey to healing.

No matter what you went through I want you to know that you can have victory over it. Those things that keep you hidden beneath that mask really have no power over you although I know it doesn’t feel that way. I tell my clients all the time that they have survived the hardest part of it all. The only thing left now is to do the emotional work and unburden your soul.

Brandon
www.bornagainfitness.com