Naming the shackles

Hello there. For me, it has been important to name the shackles...what are the restrictive forces that prevent you from being....well...you? This is a challenging part of the process because sometimes naming the shackles can mean that we have to revisit places that we have chosen to leave behind. We may have told ourselves that it is better to leave the pain in the place and have managed to grow around and in spite of it. Naming the shackles involves recognising that although we may be doing 'ok' (I know that sometimes doing ok is enough).....we do not have to settle for an ok life. The shackles are relative, may be highly personal and are uniquely integrated into the fabric of who we are....and of course, what we do. No doubt though, even the most personal of shackles will resonate with someone, somewhere and this is a wonderful connectivity that we can share with others. My shackles became ones that immersed me in silence...not a mute existence but one where my voice was incongruent and not self serving and my self was lived behind a thin sheet of metaphorical glass. It takes courage to break this glass and it takes courage to move towards living free from shackles. Still learning (praise be) and through this learning, I know that living 'free from' is much better than ok. Naming the shackles helped to etch the glass. Take care, Dr.Jo