Support Systems

In life, as things go sideways, we need to be able to rely upon the supports that we have put in place over the course of our lives. We need support systems. We need someone/something to provide practical &/or emotional support to help guide us through.

From the time we are young, we are taught to lean into those people who are close to us, especially our families, for help when we fall or stumble in life. We must rely on our parents, caregivers, and familial connections for the basics of life when we are too young to be able to provide for ourselves. The reliance on those around us can create deep bonds of trust, lasting friendships, and a healthy foundation of support to guide us over the course of our lives. But, if this reliance isn’t healthy or given conditionally, it can cause all sorts of codependency, self-esteem issues or problems trusting others.

The initial foundations we create are paramount for helping us survive and thrive in life. The ability to discern and decide what works for you at various points in your life will be of great importance as you shift, heal, and grow. We need to develop a resiliency to ride the waves of life in such a way that we can tread water, swim, surf, or simply hold on until the wind and water conditions change.

As we mature and separate ourselves from our families of origin, the ability to continue to build other structures of support is necessary. We need to be able to bounce back, lean in and learn, and walk toward, or walk away from people and things that don’t resonate and support us.

Over the course of my life, some of the support systems I have built & relied upon include:

  • Family, Friends, Colleagues

  • Yoga, Dancing & mindful movement practices

  • Meditation & Breathwork

  • Walking in Nature

  • Connection with Source Energy/God/Universe, etc.

  • Reading, Researching

  • Writing, Journaling, Contemplating

  • Comedies, Laughing

  • Photography

  • Working out, Sports

Try to stay open to hearing new information (especially if it isn’t something you agree with or have a lot of knowledge about) and through this process, you can continually grow your systems of support to help you be the best possible person that you can be. It’s a journey. It’s a conscious evolution of foundations through the healing work you will do.

What tools and supports do you use in life? Be willing to build & continuously review the foundational supports you have in place to ensure they truly support you in being the best you possibly can be. Also, do they push you to be your best every day?

Support yourself!

Brenda Dowell