soul lag

soul lag? have you experienced it?

i just returned back home to australia after being home in canada for the past 6 weeks.

(yes, i did write ‘home’ twice. i always say my heart lives in two places – canada and australia are both my home – yet the truth is that i don’t feel 100% percent settled in either place!)

since travelling there and back, i’ve been feeling so out of sorts – kind of disconnected, kind of lost, kinda “blue”… even feeling physically unwell just to go along with feeling low energetically, emotionally, and mentally.

a gorgeous friend said to me: it sounds to me like you have soul lag.

i knew she hit the nail on the head because those words made me cry. i wasn’t too sure what she meant exactly, i just knew that the words felt like me.

soul lag.

i asked around about what those words mean and people shared some amazing ideas.

• when travel but you leave a bit of yourself behind
• we leave soul fragments in places we experience big emotional events
• when we travel from a place that feels good it take time for our soul to catch up
• our physical body lands but it takes more time for the soul, the mind, and the emotions to catch up
• when we experience huge growth/expansion there is a lag for the rest of you to catch up, to fit that ‘bigness’ into the rest of life
• when your soul experiences bigness but it doesn’t quite fit yet into your life, or you ‘smallify’ it in some way to fit your life, or to feel more safe
• growth is happening at a soul level… there is something new on your way, a next level for your soul
• having to adjust to a new version of yourself in a new place, disconnected from the sense of self we develop in a new place
• making sense of what we’ve just experienced and wondering who we are now

i love these ideas and i think they can be true not just for being in a new place physically (like with travel) but in a new place emotionally, mentally, or energetically as well… growth and change and ‘travel’ can occur in lots of areas of life, creating a soul lag that needs to be honoured.

so how do we do that? how do we adjust to a new ‘place’?

i’ve used the lighthouse framework to brain storm some ideas. perhaps they will help you the next time you notice you are experiencing some soul lag!

the harbour: which is about being grounded and giving yourself some space

try: walking barefoot in the grass or sand; epsom salt baths & grounding essential oils; mindfulness exercises so you can ‘be where your feet are’; reciting a mantra of “it is safe to be here in this place”

the spiral staircase: which is about honouring your journey, honouring how you feel

try: let yourself feel sad, lost, blue, lonely, out of sorts… cry if you need to!; explore your feelings by journaling; raise your vibe by focusing on gratitude, love, joy, compassion etc.

the foundation: which is about your mindset

try: tapping into a positive mindset such as: what you learn now, you can teach later; tell yourself you’ve got this; try acting as if; do something to help someone else

the tower: which is about your surroundings, it’s the ‘vehicle’ that helps you shine

try: increasing the vibe of the place you are right now by decluttering, shifting/rearranging, making space for new; surrounding yourself with stuff that you love, taking care of your physical body

the beacon: which is about being seen & heard… being authentically, vulnerably, you

try: talking about how you feel, own it, say it out loud, speak up, write about it and share it with others (see i’m trying this one right now! lol.)

the inner light: which is about seeing yourself clearly, feeling lit up from with in

try: visualizing your future self (or the highest, brightest lighthouse version of you) who has come out of this on the other side – what would she want you to know?

the sky: which is about connecting to your soul, your source

try: meditation, reiki, prayer, surrender

(i’ve been doing the ‘untangle your cords’ meditation as a way of calling all the parts of my light back home, expanding that light within me, and allowing the ‘bigness’ of it to shine)

have you experienced something like soul lag in your life? how would you describe it? what are your strategies for adjusting to your ‘new place’? i would love to hear from you!

immense gratitude to denise litchfield and her lovely group the psychic playground for helping me to explore the idea of soul lag….  and to the incredible elevate self-leadership circle – these ladies are the best, most supportive people i know and together we’ve created an amazing place to do the work to rise up & shine our light… thank you for your love ladies.

would you like to learn more about the lighthouse framework, including concrete strategies for each component? grab the beautiful lighthouse keepers free digital magazine… it is both inspiring and practical!