Five Ways to Live a More Authentic Life

Every now and then you might start to feel disconnected, disengaged and generally unfulfilled in your life. It might have been a slow build, nothing big really happened, but you start to notice that the life, relationships and career you have been building isn’t giving you exactly what you need anymore ( or maybe it never was).
As a licensed therapist, I speak with many individuals and couples who are experiencing these feelings and often can see this coupled with an increase in anxiety, depression and stress. Often, I notice is that these individuals are living out of alignment with their goals and values and have stopped really asking themselves what they need and want. A few quick steps to check in and begin to live an authentic life are.

Identity and Invest in what you value the most.

Our values are at the core of who we are. They are what truly matter to us and how we live our lives should be aligned with what we deeply value. When you are out of whack with your authentic self you might see that how you are living are more according to your partners, friends, parents or societies value system and not necessarily your own. Take some time to ask yourself, “ what are my values” and how would my life look if I lived according to them. 

Start saying “No”.

Healthy boundaries are key. That includes saying no and taking things off your plate that don’t fill your cup. Social events, friendships that no longer serve you, extra work you don’t need or want to do. We busy ourselves up with commitments and don’t realize that this pulls us away from the things we actually want to focus on. Start practicing saying no, even in a small way. I promise the results feel amazing. 

Take More Time for You.

Don’t burn yourself out. Small things that make you feel good are essential to living a connected and engaged life. We have to recharge and give back to ourselves, especially the more we give to relationships, children and careers. Tune into where you might spend more time on you, set up a small action plan to make sure you don’t forget about you. 

Spend more time on the relationships that fill you up.

Ask yourself how certain relationships make you feel. Relationships are a give and take and sometimes we give more for a bit and that’s okay, but it is imperative to ask yourself “How does this relationship make me feel overall?” Do you feel drained and exhausted after being with a certain person? Do you feel uplifted and supported? Take inventory of how you feel with certain people and increase or reduce time spent accordingly.

Prioritize what is important to you now.

Priorities change over time. Often, we don’t tune into what really matters to us now. Things change and what we cared about two years ago might not be the priority right now. Make changes, shift priorities to match what you care about today. Future goals matter, but you can’t achieve them if you are aligned with what you need today. 

The more you live under these principles the more authentic your life will become. Start today and watch the magic in your life begin to happen.

Cait Glenn, LCSW is a licensed therapist who provides therapy/counseling for individuals and couples struggling with anxiety, cancer and chronic illness, relationship difficulty and life transitions. She offers appointments in her office in Las Vegas, Nevada and is available for online therapy in California and Nevada. Cait also provides coaching services to anyone in the United States or Internationally. Reach out to learn more at CounselingbyCait.com