Remember that YOU are the expert on your life. A personal reflection.

If you follow me on instagram you know that we spent a large chunk of our summer in my husband's hometown in Sweden.

It was there, during the quiet mornings, still tucked in under the covers with a chilly summer breeze making its way into the bedroom, seagulls chuckling outside, that I found my way back to my journal.

I used to journal a lot before having kids. Before time became scarce and my mornings busy.

My journal back then was a full on art project: filled with all my feelings and thoughts as well as drawings, poems and collages of images that spoke to me.

I loved journaling.

It's how I discovered my own depth.

It's how I got to the root of my pain and my desires alike.

It's how I consulted myself.

And this summer, I remembered it. Perhaps it's because my kids are a little older where mornings have a tiny bit more space. Or, perhaps, I remembered it because I really needed to return to myself.

You see, there are two different places where we can look for advice, solutions and guidance: We can look on the outside or the inside.

What I am realizing is that all too often we look to the outside… to the experts, the podcasts, the influencers, our friends, our family, our partners etc. for advice and solutions. As if they know better.

And in that process of turning to others and amplifying outside voices, we often silence our own inner wisdom, our own intuition.

Let me be clear: sometimes we do learn very valuable tools on the outside, but more often than not, we are bombarded with outside advice to the point of complete overwhelm. With our minds so busy trying to process and perfect the external advice, we cannot integrate and actually hear what's really true and resonant for us in our hearts.

We scramble and rush and live on the surface, swallowing more advice than we can digest. 

So today, I want to remind you to pay attention to your own inner wisdom and your own inner knowing. 

You are the expert on your life.

You are your own healer.

Consult with yourself always and trust your intuition.

Where helpful, take bite-size inspiration from the outside and then spend time checking in with yourself and how it lands for you.

The depth of your relationship with yourself is what will keep you anchored, aligned and calm.

Here are ways to spend time with yourself and build depth:

• journal

• go on a quiet solo walk in nature and notice what it feels like to be you

• paint

• meditate

• listen to calm music while lying on the floor one hand on your heart, one hand on your stomach, breathing slowly

• go on a quiet solo drive and just let your thoughts wander

with love always, 

Caroline