Make Room For Your Humanity

This Is How You Give Yourself Grace

When I started publishing the Good Light journal here on substack, I committed myself to going all in for a year. “All in” for this year meant publishing something once a week, without missing a beat or letting myself get in my own way. In the 45 weeks since posting the first piece of Good Light, I have challenged myself as a creative more than ever, and I’ve had a the time of my life in the process.

Over the last few months, I’ve been on the verge of hitting a wall in my creative life because my wellbeing hasn’t been great. Somehow I’ve managed to avoid completely stalling out, but let me tell you the last few weeks have been especially trying. I care so deeply about publishing work that I actually believe in, rather than posting just because “I have to”. I also care really deeply about doing what I said I was going to do, and right now missing a week’s post would just add to my self-disappointment so I’m holding myself to my commitment of being all in.

In my personal life it feels like I have been narrowly balancing on a tight-rope above a sea of self-cruelty and shame-spiraling. All I can see in front of me is the discomfort, the messiness, and the ways I feel like I am floundering. And while I do feel like I’ve gotten through the last month or so with a lot of compassion and tenderness towards myself, I would be lying to you if I said I was giving myself enough grace.

Even writing this piece for you now I’m questioning if what I’m writing is valuable and why anyone would care to read this. Yes, I know better.

I know I’m not alone in this, either. There seems to be a significant amount of tension in the air for a lot of people recently. So many of us are on the precipice of our next breakthrough, but all we can focus on is where we might be falling short, or are still unclear of what is meant for us. We know that in order to grow and to flourish in our lives we need to be able to lean in and show up for ourselves, but I promise you that you will not create the life you want to by beating yourself up.

“Your most beautiful healing will come from when you understand that you deserve to be seen and known, that you have the potential to be a light in this world, and that your self-hate cannot change that reality or move you to change.”

~ Excerpt from Let Your Own Light Illuminate You

I’ve been really blessed to have some encouraging conversations around mental-health and navigating life during the last few weeks. While these conversations have explored a full spectrum of themes, the golden thread that each conversation has gently pointed me to is the importance of making room for our own humanity.

That is the well that we can source grace from. We’re able to give grace to others with compassion and generosity when we can see and honor their humanity. If we want to give ourselves grace in life, we have to have be willing to see and honor our own humanness, too.

Philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin is famously quoted for saying, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” There is so much wisdom to be found in the spiritual world, but that wisdom is nothing if it isn’t grounded in our human experience, in our connection to ourselves and with each other. We love the human experience when we’re having a good time, but we forget to appreciate the value of our valleys and low seasons, too.

How dare we see how remarkable the human spirit is when we’re observing others, just to turn around and believe that we are inherently bad or wrong when we have our own challenges. When we find ourselves in awe of the resilience, power, creativity, etc. of others during difficult times, we can use that awareness to ground ourselves in what we are capable of as we navigate our own journeys and write our stories. You are the human spirit experiencing itself.

The more room you can make for your humanity, the more you will be able to move through your life with trust in yourself and your process.

The more room you can make for your humanity, the more you will give yourself the grace that you deserve.

Get out there and make some Good Light.

Xx Riley Reign

Did this piece speak to something in you? Find more complimentary Good Light here —

— The Magic of Showing Up

— Read This If You’re wondering If There Is More To Life

— Self Care That Will Actually Help You Heal