Reflecting on Strength and Joy
Over the past several weeks in our Resourcing Through Strength and Joy series, we have been exploring what it means to strengthen ourselves from the inside out. Each session has offered a different doorway into this work. Together, we have been reclaiming authenticity, feeling into old patterns that once kept us safe, and discovering how joy and strength can arise naturally when the nervous system settles.
In Week 1 we began with authenticity and the ways we shape ourselves to fit in. Many of us learned early in life that belonging required betraying our own truth. We explored memories of acceptance and moments of shaming, noticing how these experiences live in the body. The foundation of this series began here: sensing ourselves with compassion and resourcing enough internal support to show up as who we truly are.
In Week 2 our theme was practicing authenticity and we turned toward social context and the emotional labor in relationship. We looked at misgendering, subtle social harms, and the pressures that influence how we show up. We practiced returning to regulation in difficult moments and explored the complexity of speaking up when something feels harmful. These conversations helped clarify not only the patterns we carry, but also the places in our lives where authenticity can deepen.
In Week 3 we stepped into the painful experience of being told we are “too much.” Many people shared memories of shrinking themselves, quieting joy, or taking on people pleasing as a way to stay safe. We connected with our younger selves and reflected on what it would feel like to inhabit environments where creativity, sensitivity, gender identity, and liveliness are welcomed. This week invited a powerful shift: imagining the possibility of belonging to ourselves without apology.
Week 4 brought a fuller affirmation of strength and joy. We explored emotional steadiness, physical capability, and the resilience we have built over time. We turned toward joy in all its expressions, from quiet contentment to radiant aliveness. Many people recognized how joy moves differently in the body when there is enough safety to receive it. The spontaneous community celebration after the inquiry reminded us how co-regulation supports each of us in ways that are both subtle and profound.
In Week 5 we entered the pleasure of a still mind. We explored what disturbs inner quiet and the layers of uncertainty and resistance that pull us away into thought. Through grounding, imagery, and breath, we remembered that we have met uncertainty before and found our way back to steadiness and strength. This session deepened trust in our own wisdom and highlighted the simple relief that comes when our nervous system settles into spacious awareness.
Looking back on these weeks, a clear thread emerges. Strength does not come from pushing ourselves. Joy does not arrive through an effort to fit in. Both arise naturally when we meet ourselves with kindness and allow our body and mind to settle. We reconnect with capacities that have always been here: clarity, compassion, steadiness, and the quiet pleasure of being present.
As we continue this work, we keep resourcing from the inside. We remember past resilience, sense current strengths, and make room for ourselves to be in the world as we actually are.
In our Sunday community class this week, we’ll have a short inquiry then share our insights and learning with each other.
Join us in our Sunday free community class.