Becoming unstuck

Now comes the most radical part of what Lepera teaches: we can heal ourselves every day by doing ‘the work’. Though ‘work’ sounds tough, it isn’t supposed to be; it’s more about showing up for yourself every day in small ways.

The new workbook is filled with exercises to do in order, some of which you will repeat daily, for weeks and even months.

This starts with learning to regulate our nervous systems with breathing, affirmations and learning to be present in our bodies. We can then do the work of ‘reconnecting with our true self’, learning to be with our emotions, and to ‘tune into ourselves, what we want and what we need’. We can learn to become conscious of our ‘habit self’, ‘understanding how we are living, the habits we are repeating, the thoughts we keep thinking, how we are feeling, how we are showing up in the world’, says Lepera. By doing this, you’ll discover your triggers, the things that catapult you into your habit self, learn what your emotions feel like in your body and uncover your core beliefs.

‘The work’ isn’t a quick fix. It takes time, but slowly, you will feel better. ‘As our nervous system becomes more regulated, we begin to feel safer, more at ease,’ she says. ‘We begin to feel a lightness, more connection to purpose and our inner desires.’ As we keep going, we rediscover our gifts, talents and creativity that, being in a state of nervous dysregulation, didn’t previously feel safe.

The final part of the book is where you meet yourself. But the journey isn’t over. ‘I still consider myself several years into my journey of healing… it’s an ongoing, everevolving process.’ But it’s one that’s worth doing. ‘By setting and keeping small daily promises to yourself, you can rediscover your authentic self as the Earth continues to spin; your body ages, your environment changes and others in your life come and go.’