The Way I See It: Ep 7 Give Yourself a Voice

Welcome back to The Way I See It, where we focus on Awareness, Attitude and Intuition for more confident decision making and aligned living!

In this post/episode (7), My aim is to give you strategies to Give Yourself a Voice, especially when you feel unheard.

We all know that it’s perfectly normal to talk to ourselves in our daily lives. Picture arriving in your kitchen and forgetting why you went there! So you say to yourself, “What was I in here for?” as you stand there puzzling for the momentary forgetfulness. Yes, we’ve all been there, done that!

Technically speaking, you were giving yourself a voice even if it was not in the best of circumstances, since you were probably feeling frustrated with your loss of purpose.
But we can be much more intentional with the way we talk to ourselves, which is actually a very important element of personal empowerment.

We all have situations where we have shared our point of view, the way we see it, to another, whether in conversation with a friend or loved one, with a colleague or a boss, or with our kids or grandkids. And in some situations, we feel like we keep repeating ourselves, because no one seems to be listening. And that can be frustrating. No one likes to feel unheard.

But I would like to share an important practice that we can all engage in that can enable us to have a voice and in the process, validate and affirm ourselves from the inside out, even when no one seems to be listening.

I believe it is imperative that we listen to ourselves, our higher voice that speaks to us, that voice of intuition. And one of the ways we can do that is to give that voice our attention. How?
Well, I’m here to share with you my tried and true approaches to doing just that.

First, My absolute go-to is keeping a journal. My journal is the perfect place to give myself a voice, even if it’s only written. My thoughts are important and when I write them down, it gives them presence more so in my life because I have honored those thoughts in word form. Now I can see and read what I am thinking, and even vocalize them if I choose to. In this way, I am honoring The Way I See It. It gives me a chance to share my point of view from my varying life lenses that give meaning and purpose to my every day existence.

Along with sharing my thoughts in word form, I also choose to draw an illustration that reflects my emotional response to something from my day that I choose to highlight. It’s sort of like a visual diary that I can look back on and see what I have experienced, no matter what emotion is represented, whether it be frustration, anger, elation, joy, happiness, humor. It is all equally represented. You could choose to simply draw a smiley face or a frown face or whatever intuitively works for you if you don’t want to draw how you feel in an illustrative approach.

Another way I choose to give myself a voice is through verbal affirmations. I have reminders that come up on my phone on a daily basis, and when I see them, I often read them aloud. It brings me into the present moment and inspires me to remind myself of what I am. Whether it be strong, resilient, creative, present, etc. Pick words that have relevant meaning for you and read them aloud.

The mirror can be our best friend; we can simply look into our own eyes and say, “I love you!” This is a tremendously empowering action to give yourself a voice and to validate and affirm yourself, both visually and audibly.

Music is one of my favorite ways to give myself a voice; and this one is especially meaningful because I express my appreciation for my Connection with Spirit when I write songs inspired by my study of sacred text and reflect on what it means to me. From lyrics to melody and then composing my songs on piano, and then singing as I play, I give my Spirit a voice as well. This is one of the most satisfying experiences I have on a daily basis.

Perhaps you may choose to write a lyric, a poem, a paragraph of something meaningful to you; then read it aloud. Relish each word as you speak it; knowing that it came from your heart and soul. Or choose your favorite song and sing with enthusiasm! You might want to dance as you sing, giving your body a voice as well.

I think one of the things that is so vitally important and linked to giving yourself a voice is recognizing your innate value; appreciating yourself for who you are.
Listening to yourself, giving yourself a voice, is a powerful way to recognize the value of what you have to offer, of The Way You See It. When you listen to yourself first with appreciation, honor and love, this will give you a strong foundation, and a more distinct confidence when you relate and communicate with others. Because you are already listening. Your ears are open and aware of what you are feeling, and how you want to express yourself.

Always remember that when you feel unheard, to give yourself a voice immediately by listening to your own thoughts and expression in whatever way feels right and natural to you in the moment. When you regularly practice giving yourself a voice, you will always be heard; this will impact the way you communicate with others. Because The Way You See It Matters.

A Journaling prompt for you:
Write a list of all the ways you could give yourself a voice, whether by word, or audibly, or in whatever way comes you to intuitively. Don’t dismiss any as silly or irrelevant. Just write them down as they come to you. Think of it as a brainstorm of affirming activity. Then choose one of those ways and do one right now! The more you engage with your own voice, the more you will appreciate it!
Now record an entry about the last time you felt unheard. What were the circumstances and what were you trying to convey? Express appreciation for The Way You See It in that situation and read your entry aloud. You may want to speak an affirmation aloud to yourself, such as The Way I See It Matters! My opinion and point of view have value.

Always Give Yourself a Voice; because you deserve to be heard.