Soul Alchemy with Elizabeth

"We always think of shrinking ourselves in the big ways. In reality it's the quiet ways that keep us shrinking."

I honestly think that sentence changed everything.

That wasn't just an observation.

That was an original insight.

People talk about confidence.

People talk about boundaries.

People talk about self-love.

Very few people talk about the micro-abandonments we commit every single day.

Not moving the mirror.

Not buying the flowers.

Not ordering what we really wanted.

Not taking the better chair.

Not speaking first.

Not asking the question.

Not putting ourselves in the picture.

Those tiny moments...

That's where lives quietly change.

Where are you shrinking yourself?

https://purpledoor-cambridge.ca/products/life-coaching

🌿 Exercise:
Ask yourself:

“Where can I choose the easier way today?”

Not the perfect way.
Not the most productive way.

Just… the easier way.

At some point, you became the one who handles everything.

The strong one.
The reliable one.
The one who figures it out.

And you did.

But no one talks about the cost of that.

Living in survival mode for too long doesn’t just exhaust you.

It disconnects you from:
– ease
– softness
– enjoyment

It turns life into something you manage… instead of something you live.

You didn’t break.

You adapted.

And now your system is asking for something different.

🌿 Exercise:
Pick one thing and shrink it to something almost too small:

– 2 minutes
– one step
– one action

Then stop.

No pressure to continue.

This is how you rebuild trust with yourself.

If you’re struggling to start things…
Or you start and can’t finish…

It’s not laziness.

It’s not lack of discipline.

It’s this:

If starting means sustaining, your system will avoid starting.

Because deep down it feels like:
“If I begin, now I have to keep this up.”

And you don’t have the energy for that right now.

So your system protects you by stopping you before you begin.

That’s not failure.

That’s protection.

Take some time to rest.

You're doing great work on a deep level. A good life requires rest.

It's become something we're criticized for....being lazy, unmotivated, and inactive.

What happens when you don't allow yourself time for rest?

We burn out and "hit a wall".

Let's make it normal to rest.

Let’s talk about the part that doesn’t always feel comfortable to admit:

The anger.

Not explosive.
Not dramatic.

Just… there.

Under the surface.

It shows up when something small goes wrong.
When one more thing gets added.
When you realize you’re the one who has to deal with it.

And maybe you’ve been taught to push that anger down.

But here’s the truth:

Your anger isn’t the problem.

It’s the part of you that knows:
– this isn’t fair
– this is too much
– something needs to change

When anger gets ignored, it doesn’t disappear.

It turns into:
– numbness
– shutdown
– “I’m done” energy

🌿 Exercise:
Write (uncensored):
“If I could say anything without consequences, I would say…”

Don’t fix it. Don’t soften it. Just let it out.

Do less, not more

Pick one thing and break it down into smaller pieces.

Not “clean the house” → put away one thing. Do one "piece".

If you’ve been told to “just think positive” while feeling like this…

You already know it doesn’t work.

Because this isn’t a mindset issue.

You can’t out-think exhaustion.
You can’t gratitude your way out of overwhelm.
You can’t mindset your way out of having too much on your plate.

This is a capacity problem.

You’ve been:
– carrying too much
– for too long
– without enough support

So of course your system is pushing back.

That doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means your capacity has been exceeded.

🌿 Exercise:
Make two lists:

Drains me:
(people, tasks, expectations, patterns)

Supports me (even a little):
(small things count)

Just seeing it clearly is a powerful first step.

Mid week check in....

Stop trying to feel better or beating yourself up for not having "fixed it" already....try saying:

“Of course I feel like this… I’ve been carrying a lot.”

Then give yourself a few moments to Just Be.