Do you ever feel like you don’t belong?
I used to as well, but using the acronym I created to practice belonging (yes, there are some key ways I teach to strengthen this skill), you can belong wherever you truly desire, and most importantly, belong to yourself.
You’re listening to the Love Tidbits Podcast, where you’ll discover a small, tasty, delightful, bite-sized tidbit of love ~ I’m your host, LeAnn Austin.
Hey y’all, welcome to Love Tidbits, Episode #55: Belong
Community is an important part of the human experience. We desire connection, love and belonging. Think about things you belong to. Maybe you belong to a team, a book club, a church, a choir, a neighborhood, a community. There are endless things we belong to.
Belonging is defined as the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group. Notice that belonging is a feeling. We know that feelings come from what we’re thinking.
So if we’re thinking; “I’m included, they get me, I’m understood, I’m at home.” Then we feel love, accepted, and that we belong. On the flip side, if we’re thinking; “they don’t understand me, they don’t respect me, they don’t trust me,” we often feel unworthy, unloved, and that we don’t belong. And when we keep thinking these thoughts, we end up not respecting or trusting ourselves, as well as feeling that we don’t belong.
Now, everyone has things that they belong to, like we mentioned before, and I’m guessing most of you have also experienced times when you feel like you don’t belong. So how can we be more intentional about creating a sense of connection and belonging in our lives?
I created an acronym for BELONG to help us remember things that we can do right now to feel that sense of belonging. In my Lovin Me program for March, we will explore all about belonging. There I will teach my awesome acronym BELONG, so that you will have simple ways to not only belong to a particular group you’d like, but also to belong to yourself.
If you’re ready to belong wherever you truly desire, join my Lovin Me program. Come belong to a community of incredible humans, who are strengthening their mental and emotional muscles. Come belong to a group filled with love & compassion, explore what’s happening in your beautiful brain, and improve your relationships with yourself and others. Link is in the show notes and in my bio. I’d love to have you belong to Lovin Me and journey together to where you want to be.
Brené Brown has some beautiful information on belonging in her book Atlas of the Heart. She shares, “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. Belonging is a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are.
When we sacrifice who we are, we not only feel separate from others, but we also feel disconnected from ourselves. Our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” Hmmm, something to think about.
Have a good one y’all, and here’s to belonging and to love.
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What would it feel like to finish your goals, enjoy your relationships, especially with your daughter-in-law, appreciate your body, and embrace being you? Join my Lovin Me program today and see your in a whole new way.
You’re already really good at loving others ~ I’ll help you become an expert at loving you. More information at leannaustin.com
