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Being the independent soul that I am I tend to pride myself on 'going it alone', not needing anybody. But in all honesty that is a lonely life--we need to lean in--reach out--share our story and ask for help. Frequently when my husband gives me a hug I will remind myself to 'lean in' take the hug for all it's worth. Or when I am having a stressful day and my first inclination is to forge ahead, dig deeper and become a virtual stress machine I will remind myself to 'lean in' to my nearest and dearest, ask for help, share my stress and do a little leaning. When I lean in life gets better, my relationships get stronger, my piece of mind is greater, I am happier. It isn't my first response, it isn't the easiest response but it is a helpful response.
Leaning in is the opposite of running from. Duh you might say, but most of us spend a lot of time running from our negative emotions, the unhappy parts of our lives, our fears, our shame etc. When we can lean in to it we can diminish it's strength, that much faster. Leaning in is not an intuitive action (at least not for me) it is something I have to remind myself to do. Lean in, take a breath, feel the feelings, and then take action.
Leaning in means we reach out to the 'safe people' in our lives to share the struggles and the joys. Yep, we even have to be reminded to lean in to the joys of our life. We are so afraid that if we celebrate too much the joy will vanish or by celebrating we aren't being modest enough and we will suffer some consequence.
If you think of walking down the street on a windy day, the easiest way to maneuver is to lean in to the wind. Standing straight and tall, being rigid and stoic will just make it that much more difficult to walk. If you can link arms with someone as you walk through the wind, it gets even easier. When we lean in we naturally relax and we are able to shift and move as needed. The wind is still there, but rather than fighting against it we are moving with it.
Where in your life could you use a little 'lean in'?
