How to Embrace Your Shadow
Carl Jung, a 20th-century Swiss psychologist, claims that people have a metaphorical shadow trailing them. This shadow represents the thoughts, desires, and habits an individual may consider unacceptable or misaligned with their beliefs and values.
For instance, an athlete’s shadow could be the desire not to train or the thought of skipping the daily protein shake and indulging in alcohol.
Jung suggests people shouldn’t try to suppress their shadows; shadows are essential to life and often indicate unresolved thoughts and impulses. Instead, people should “integrate” their shadows into their lives by peacefully confronting them. The first step is to acknowledge the shadow. Then, through analysis, the shadow can become a part of oneself; people can often use the shadow’s negative energy and channel it for positive changes.
I forget where I got this advice from, but it has been a useful exercise to get out of the shadow’s grip. Lay on your bed and stare at the ceiling. Think about one thing that you know you should do, but don’t want to. Ponder about how long you pushed this task back. Articulate the effects it has had on your life and what kind of detrimental effect it will have if you don’t change it. Don’t hate the fact that it may torment you, but simply acknowledge it and make a plan to integrate it into your life.
