Lately, I’ve felt called to rise. To want more for myself. To believe in myself. To step into the life I used to only imagine.

For a long time, I didn’t believe I could. I doubted myself constantly. I questioned my abilities. I let fear convince me that maybe I wasn’t enough, or that something was fundamentally wrong with me.

But something has shifted.

I’m letting go of self-doubt and choosing to lean into trust instead. I’m choosing to trust the gifts God has given me, instead of hiding from them or minimizing them. And it didn’t happen overnight. It’s been something I’ve built slowly, over time, one choice at a time.

Living in Survival Mode

For a long time, I was living in survival mode.

If you’re familiar with the nervous system, you might know the states of fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Looking back, I can see how much of my life was spent in flight, freeze, and fawn. I avoided responsibility because it felt overwhelming. I wasn’t lazy—I was disconnected from trust in myself.

I didn’t feel solid inside. I had shaky roots, low self-worth, low self-esteem, and a weak sense of identity. And when you don’t feel anchored in yourself, even basic life things can feel unstable.

I relied heavily on other people for emotional safety and reassurance. I looked outward for validation, approval, and direction because I didn’t yet know how to create that safety within myself.

Deep down, I carried shame. I genuinely believed something was wrong with me. I didn’t feel like I belonged. Most days, I was living almost entirely in my head—overthinking, spiraling, rushing through life instead of actually being in it.

The Turning Point

Eventually, I reached a point where I knew something had to change.

Because I could see clearly that if I wanted a different life—healthier relationships, financial freedom, real peace—I couldn’t keep outsourcing my sense of safety. I had to become someone I could rely on.

Around that time, I started learning about the chakra system. The chakras are often described as energy centers within the body—subtle spaces within us that reflect different layers of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual experience.

There are seven main ones that move along the spine. The root, sacral, the solar plexus, the heart, the throat, the third eye, and the crown—each associated with different aspects of being human: needs, creativity, confidence, love, expression, intuition, and connection. They also each have their own color and frequency.

I had recently been revisiting the basics again, starting with the root chakra.

The Root

The root is associated with safety, stability, and our most basic needs—food, shelter, belonging, financial security. The foundation of being human.

And something in me just clicked.

I didn’t need a bigger life first.

I needed a more stable one.

A stronger foundation.

Because when you think about a house, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it is—if the foundation is weak, it eventually starts to crack. That’s what my inner world felt like.

The root is only the beginning.

And everything above it depends on it in some way.

I don’t think of the chakras as something to master or fully understand.

More so, I see them as a reminder that there are deeper layers of us that only truly open when we feel safe enough to be here.

And I’ve learned—slowly, through experience—that we can’t skip the root and expect the rest of us to feel grounded.

Everything builds from here.

That realization changed everything for me.

Building a Foundation

So I stopped trying to force growth, and I started focusing on grounding.

Ironically, one of the biggest turning points in that process was working a full-time 9-to-5 job—the kind of job I used to say I’d never do.

At the time, I didn’t see it as my dream life, but it gave me something I deeply needed: structure, routine, and consistency.

For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t constantly worried about how I was going to get by. My basic needs were being met in a steady way, and that created a kind of quiet in my mind I hadn’t felt before.

And from that place of stability, something started to shift.

I wasn’t just surviving anymore.

I was beginning to build.

I started tending to my inner life in a different way—my body, my routines, my nutrition, my mental patterns. I began creating structure for myself instead of waiting for life to give it to me.

Building Self-Trust

And slowly, I noticed something I hadn’t experienced before.

The more I showed up for myself in small, consistent ways, the more I started to trust myself.

Not in a dramatic, overnight confidence shift—but in a quiet, steady way.

I wasn’t just building confidence.

I was building evidence that I could rely on myself.

That changed everything.

As my roots grew stronger, my life started to open up.

I stopped living so much in my imagination and started taking real action. I began moving toward opportunities that once felt too big for me—not because I wasn’t afraid anymore, but because I trusted myself enough to move with the fear instead of letting it stop me.

What Growing Roots Looks Like

And I’ve learned something important through all of this:

Growing strong roots isn’t glamorous.

It looks like sleeping enough. Eating in a way that actually nourishes you. Moving your body. Paying attention to your finances. Creating a budget instead of avoiding it. Learning to say no. Setting boundaries. Spending time outside. Coming back to your breath when your mind wants to spiral ahead of you.

None of it is flashy.

But all of it builds something real.

Every small action becomes a promise kept to yourself. And every promise kept becomes another layer of self-trust.

Integration and Growth

I’m still learning, and I’m still growing.

Boundaries still stretch me. Slowing down still stretches me. And there are days where I still have to come back to myself again and again.

But overall, I feel different now.

More grounded. More steady. More at home in myself.

Not because life is perfect, but because I know I can meet it.

I know how to take care of myself now. I know how to come back when I drift. And I know I’m not doing this alone anymore.

The Invitation

Whether or not the chakra system resonates with you, what I hope you take from this is simple:

You don’t have to stay where you are.

You can build trust with yourself.

You can create stability where there wasn’t any before.

You can start small.

Maybe it’s a morning routine. Maybe it’s going for a walk. Maybe it’s making a meal that actually supports your body. Maybe it’s looking at your finances instead of avoiding them. Maybe it’s choosing rest without guilt.

Whatever it is—it counts.

Because you’re not just changing your habits.

You’re building roots.

And from strong roots…

You rise.

<3

This content may not be reproduced, distributed, or republished without written permission.