lighter- some excerpts

If you follow me on IG, I shared a book a little bit ago that I truly to my core believe everyone should read. I have every intention of gifting it this holiday season to everyone I know as well LOL.

If you’re a fan of Paulo Coehlo’s writings, you’ll definitely love this one even more. I found myself thinking of a lot of my favorite Paulo Coehlo books as I read through, and I always finish his books really reflecting on my own life and my own journey and how it might align with the characters in his novels, all of which go on philosophical, meaningful journeys that end with great life lessons. That was a little bit of a tangent, but when I started reading lighter I immediately loved it in the same way.

lighter walks you through how to heal, let go of the past, and really allow yourself to live in the present. And it does this by guiding you through hard things and I love that at the end of each chapter, there are reflecting questions for you to answer (on paper, or just in your head). It really makes you think about certain things in your life, relationships, human habit, human nature, self love, life challenges and how to deal and heal your way through them all. I’m going to link the book here and then share with you some of my favorite excerpts and why they resonated with me (I highlighted basically the entire book, so I won’t share them all lol).

healing isn’t about filling your life with pleasure

or never having a hard moment again

it’s about being real

and facing what you feel

so that it doesn’t accumulate in unhealthy ways

being with the down moments is better than

carrying unprocessed pain everywhere you go

+ this one really speaks for itself and I think is something everyone can relate too. Not every moment is going to be rainbows and butterflies (cue the Maroon 5 song- She Will Be Loved).

the river of life wants to move you toward embracing change

+ this one really hit me, life is always moving, always changing and that’s the point. Resisting or wanting things to stay the same is impossible and I kinda love that.

letting go does not make you coldhearted

+ this is a narrative a lot of people (energy suckers, as I call them) would like you to believe. But it couldn’t be further from the truth. Letting go is a form of mental clarity and self love, one that allows you to be your most authentic self without the physical or mental load of various things that might be holding you down- people, work, obligations, etc.

if your intuition is not fully aligned with what you are doing, that is a clear sign it is not for you

+ I am a very intuitive person and rely on gut instincts for a lot of things, so I loved this section of the book.

treating your energy like a precious resource has a deep effect on your life. Saying no becomes more common so you can focus your time and give it to your highest goals. You miss out on some events because you don’t need as much external stimulation to make you feel fulfilled.

+ this one reminded me of my blog post on boundaries, so I definitely related right away! I stopped giving my energy and time to things that didn’t truly bring me joy earlier this year, and as I continue to work on that, I definitely feel the impact on my life. I feel more energized with the things and people I do commit too, rather than being distracted or spread so thin that everything feels exhausting.

do not get stuck in a savior pattern… it is not your job to save everyone

+ yikes, did I ever need this reminder. Needless to say, I highlighted and underlined this one lol.

maturity is being able to maintain

your energy the way you want it to be

when someone close to you is trying to

drag you into their storm

you hear them

you offer support

but at the same time

you let their tension be theirs

and you let your peace be yours

+ I think this might be my favorite excerpt from the book. I cried when I first heard surface pressure from Encanto, and this to me really screams response to that. No matter who it is, friends, family, co-workers, you can offer support and be a shoulder to lean on without encompassing all the feelings of that other person- and you shouldn’t. Everyone is responsible for their own happiness, and you need to protect yours at all costs. Since becoming a mother, this has become something especially important to me.

a boundary is a form of protection that helps you stay aligned with who you are becoming. Think of boundaries not just as a way to reclaim your power, but as a way to intentionally design your life.

+ this chapter goes on to say basically everything I feel about boundaries, so I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one!