✧・゜: how i'm using this season to shed old identities that no longer serve me :・゜✧:・゜✧
hey lovelies! ✨mindy here!
i've been sitting on my little balcony this morning, watching the sunrise with my iced matcha, thinking about how summer always feels like nature's permission slip to reinvent ourselves. there's something about the longer days and warmer air that makes everything feel possible, you know? like we can finally shed the heavy coats of who we've been pretending to be.
⋆.ೃ࿔:・ realizing i've been wearing masks ・:࿔ೃ.⋆
honestly? i had this moment last week where i was getting ready for a friend's party and literally tried on seven different outfits, not because they didn't fit but because i kept thinking "does this look like me?" and then i had this weird breakdown moment where i was like… wait, who even is "me" anymore?
i realized i've been cycling through different versions of myself for different people - the perpetually positive girl, the aesthetic overachiever, the one who never needs help, the girl who has it all figured out. it's exhausting trying to maintain all these identities when deep down i just want to exist without the pressure of being consistent with who i was yesterday.
⋆.ೃ࿔:・ summer as a season of shedding ・:࿔ೃ.⋆
i've been thinking about snakes a lot lately (stay with me lol). they shed their entire skin when they outgrow it, and there's something so beautiful about that natural process of release. summer feels like the perfect time for us to do the same.
i started making a list of identities i've outgrown but have been clinging to:
the girl who says yes to everything because she's afraid of disappointing people
the perpetual optimizer who can't enjoy anything without trying to improve it
the one who needs everyone to like her (this one's been the hardest to let go of tbh)
the person who derives all her worth from productivity and achievement
these old skins have been suffocating me, and i didn't even realize how much until i started consciously peeling them away.
⋆.ೃ࿔:・ my gentle shedding rituals ・:࿔ೃ.⋆
i've been creating little rituals to help me release these old identities, and it's been kind of magical? here's what's been working for me:
morning journaling where i write from the perspective of my authentic self rather than who i think i should be (sometimes i literally don't know what to write and that's telling)
a social media cleanse where i unfollowed accounts that make me feel like i need to perform a certain version of myself (cut my following list in half and my anxiety improved immediately)
practicing saying things like "i don't know" and "i changed my mind" without offering explanations or apologies (terrifying at first but gets easier)
creating a "permission slip box" where i write down things i'm allowing myself to be/do/feel that the old me would have rejected (currently on my nightstand and it's getting fuller every day)
asking myself "whose voice is this?" whenever i hear that critical inner monologue (turns out most of my inner critic speaks in borrowed voices)
⋆.ೃ࿔:・ growing pains & gentle reminders ・:࿔ೃ.⋆
can i be honest? this shedding process isn't always pretty. there have been days where i've slipped back into people-pleasing or perfectionism because those old identities feel safe. there have been moments where i've felt completely lost without my usual masks to hide behind.
but i'm learning that this discomfort is part of the process. that weird in-between stage where you've outgrown who you were but haven't fully become who you're meant to be? that's where the magic happens. that's where we get to play and experiment and figure out what actually feels true.
i keep reminding myself that authenticity isn't a destination, it's a practice. and summer, with its forgiving warmth and abundant light, feels like the perfect container for this messy, beautiful transformation.
so i'm curious… what identities are you outgrowing this summer? what parts of yourself are you ready to shed? sometimes naming them is the first step to letting them go.
sending you all the courage to become more of who you really are.
p.s. if you're feeling brave, write down an identity you're shedding on a piece of paper and bury it in your garden or a potted plant. let something new grow in its place. (i did this with "perfect girl" last week and i swear my lavender plant is thriving)
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