What makes you feel alive?

When was the last time you felt a buzz of vitality, aliveness and vibrancy in your body? What sparked that feeling?

I’m betting you were doing something you love doing and had a lot of energy for, or maybe something you were initially afraid of or feeling resistance for and finally decided to courageously go towards it. 

You feel alive when you’re in that slightly edgy zone where you’re not quite sure how to do it, but you’re committing and doing it anyway. 

Notice these scenarios involve an element of trusting in the process and the unknown and deciding to take a risk.

The sense of aliveness comes when you become present to yourself in the moment, tap into your bravery and make a bold move. Even a tiny move towards something that has energy for you invites aliveness into your body. You’re sending a message to your soul and the universe that you’re listening and saying yes to being your fullest expression of your authentic self.

What are you afraid to do, but it keeps coming into your mind? Get curious about this.

What are you resistant to (this feels like a ‘no way! Fuck no!’ followed by all the excuses in the world why you couldn’t possibly do that thing. Hint: anything you have a strong reaction to both positively or negatively has energy for you, and when there’s energy, that thing is highly likely calling you towards it).Dig here. 

What do you know you love doing and feel lit up by? Prioritise this.

These very experiences and next steps hold the key to your aliveness. 

So why aren’t you happily in a state of aliveness at all times?

Because it takes courage, a willingness to take a risk, to be in the liminal space of the unknown, to let go of the safety of the shoreline and venture into the depths of the sea. It’s much easier and more comfortable to stay as you are, going through the motions and telling yourself it’s okay, it’s not so bad. 

It can be down right scary and physically uncomfortable to start doing things differently. Your inner protective selves are likely to get very loud and busy alerting your nervous system of danger. Understanding and working with your body and nervous system is key to taking aligned action towards aliveness. 

How can you start claiming your sense of aliveness?

By tuning into what has energy for you in your body – start noticing how your body responds to choices you’re making. Notice and let go of mind chatter and start paying attention to your body. Your mind wants to keep you safe with logic, pros and cons and excuses, the body’s reactions are your reliable source of information about what’s for you and what’s not. Fear doesn’t mean it’s not for you, in fact it’s probably a good indicator it is for you! By working with your nervous system you can start taking brave action even though it feels scary. 

The intuitive creative process offers a low risk training ground for learning to pay attention to your body, tuning into what has energy for you, taking risks and making bold moves. As someone who’s struggled with crippling anxiety all my life, I’ve developed a strong understanding of ways of working with the nervous system and fear to gently and effectively move forward. I can show you how to do this for yourself. If you’d like to prioritise tapping into your sense of aliveness and are interested in painting and/or soul to soul mentoring online or in-person, feel free to hit reply and chat with me about how this can support you or see my offerings.

This past weekend I experienced a real sense of aliveness when I entered what I call the ‘fuck it’ zone whilst painting with acrylics on paper. I was feeling frustrated, it wasn’t going where I knew it needed to go, but I was reluctant to let go and really go for it. When I start feeling like this I know I’m on the edge of needing to make some major changes, to let go of my agenda, trust the process and enter the unknown. And sure enough, when I turned my paper and started to paint over most of what was there, even though I was nervous I started to feel more alive. As the painting started to turn a corner and become what it was wanting to be, the energy became really strong in my body. It was exhilarating to paint with my hands, to spray water to reveal what was underneath, to scrape, etch and play. 

I’m delighted with how it turned out and feel empowered to paint another one! PS this original intuitive acrylic and mixed media painting on 220gsm paper (594 x 841mm) is available to purchase for £265 (free UK shipping). Send me an email hello@becfowler.co.uk to find out more.

What’s calling you? What bold move (tiny or big) is next?

Wishing you so much aliveness!