Self-expression

"Because there is only one of you in all of time, your expression is unique. And if you block it, it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open."
-- Martha Graham (dancer and choreographer)

I love quotes. Such a way to succinctly describe your philosophy of life! So when I saw this one I just had to use it somehow. I thought it quite fitting to begin my blog with.

Self-expression is such an important part of affirming ourselves and our contribution to the world. But all too often, we harshly edit our self-expression, and the world misses out on our most unique attributes or ideas. As children, we are much freer with our selves and our bodies. Children are naturally creative. Then as the socialization process happens, we begin to lose that spontaneity and openness that we had from the start. We start to shape our being in accordance with expectations of others. Not always a bad thing, of course. Life does have rules and difficulties and hard work.

But sometimes people lose that spark that makes them an individual. We become slaves to the clock, to convention, to policy and yes... to money. We no longer seem to be making a unique mark on the world; instead, it brands us with a narrowly defined, one-size-fits-all personality, and we can begin to feel that life is tedious and un-me.

Many people starting psychotherapy are burned-out, stressed-out, and fatigued. We sometimes call it depression or anxiety, and there are clinical cases of these, but sometimes, I think they've just lost touch with what is important, lost touch with themselves. They no longer know who they are. And they no longer resemble at all that little child with a quick laugh, who danced and giggled and acted silly and just plain loved life and being alive on this Earth.

One of my goals in therapy is to help people find that part of themselves again: to laugh, to love, to live. (oh, no, she's not gonna use the term "inner child", is she?). But the amazing thing that happens is when people start to take themselves less seriously, and to enjoy the joy, they begin to feel less stressed, less depressed; they have more energy. They are creative again, back in touch with themselves and also more in touch with the Divine, or the Spiritual side of life. The spiritual side of life is intuitive and spontaneous, not logical and organized.

Yes, there is a place for both. We need both. But in this rat race, dog eat dog world, maybe what we need right now is a little more fun and a little more self-expression. Don't block it. Don't squash it. Don't let the world squash it. Let it out. Be creative. Dance. Sing. Write poetry. Paint a picture. Play the piano even if you don't know how. Dig in the sand. Be yourself. Just be.