7 Big Lessons From My Self-Discovery Journey
I just returned from 10 days on a solo trip out in the Utah desert. I went on a self-discovery journey out of the need to find myself and reconnect with myself. After hitting a big career setback and feeling lost and uncertain, the idea of being alone, being in nature, and being in stillness was thing thing I craved.
Now, after returning from this experience, I feel refreshed and have a more grounded perspective. I believe anyone going on a self-discovery quest needs to have at least a week to allow the body, mind, and emotions to go through natural cycles of healing and rest before insights and transformative experiences can arise. It's a process after all.
Here are my top takeaways.
Lesson One
Fall in love with your own company
When was the last time you spent time with yourself? Not on your couch home alone, but taking yourself somewhere and enjoying a day (or multiple days) alone? I realized I LOVE my own company. I hadn't spent time hanging out with her in a loooong time.
Lesson Two
Unstructured, decision-less time is a gift and a necessary mental respite
I remember seeing an Instagram reel by Ester Perel a few months ago when the pandemic was peaking. She mentioned how she took downtime and practiced not making any decisions, including things like what to eat for dinner. We all have decision fatigue. Give yourself a break.
Lesson Three
Notice the greenlights in your life
This comes straight from Matthew McConaughey's book. Greenlights are the moments when things click, go in your favor, or something wonderful happens by luck or effort. There are redlights and yellowlights too. I made a timeline of my last five years and mapped out my red, yellow, and greenlights. Reliving key moments this way was fascinating and helped me process my life journey with new understanding.
Lesson Four
Practice taking inspired action
This is similar to following your intuition. It's easy to say and hard to do. Because life slowed down so much on the road, I was able to notice the pings better- those little sensations in your body that let you know what feels right. I played with tuning in when I felt inspired instead of forcing actions because I thought I should.
Lesson Five
Appreciate beauty
I realized how much I tune out my surroundings. In the desert, my senses were much more alive. I noticed colors and sounds quite vividly. Everyday I was in awe. Natural beauty felt more breathtaking.
Lesson Six
Slow down and simplify
Life was simple on the road. I wore the same clothes most days. My morning routine was to brush my teeth, make coffee, and stare into the distance. Doing less felt great, and it made me realize how much I do in my regular life and how many extra steps I add that are unnecessary. The amount of stuff I had in the van was plenty. The less I did and the more I slowed down, the better I felt.
Lesson Seven
Decompress before you can reconnect with yourself
Honestly, I was in a rush to "re-discover myself." Yet, it doesn't happen immediately. There is absolutely a period of decompression, a few days, where you acclimate to a new pace of life. By day five or so, that's when I began moving from being dissociated to more in my body. I realized what a vital stage this is in the self-discovery process.