As we continue to explore the topic of Support this month, here is a story – an example of what the process can be like when we are experimenting with the idea of Support in our lives.

She looked down at her journal and felt a calmness within. She thought about the exercise she had just done and that she was in the process of writing about – checking in with her future self about something.

Both her journal and that favorite exercise were two things she knew she could always trust to calm herself – to help her get more clarity and feel a sense of connection with herself. These were certainly part of her support system – her team, as she liked to think of it.

Years ago, her team was much smaller. Actually, she never really thought about having one. Of course she had friends to turn to and family members who were always there to support her, but she hadn’t consciously connected with the fact that this was her team or that she needed one.

She was always ready to give support to others – to be a part of their team. She liked the feeling she got from being there, from them always knowing she was willing to listen. However, at times being the support for others, drained her as she wasn’t always getting what she needed herself.

It was when she went through her own coaching process that this idea of having her own team began. And over the years, her team and what it consists of has grown.

She still uses her friends and family as support. She is pickier these days, though, about what she talks about and for what purpose. She sees no point in talking through problems over and over with different people as she used to. In the past, she believed hearing other opinions would be helpful although often it just confused her more. All those voices mixed with the many in her own mind certainly did not lead to the clarity she was looking for.

These days she chooses the people she shares things with. She is not looking for advice, but support in processing her own thoughts. Those trusted supporters she shares with now listen to her, reflect back to her. They might offer her their own thoughts, which she might or might not agree with. But for the most part they support her by listening and by being there.

She also has a rich selection of professionals who are there for her whenever she feels she needs them. She developed these relationships through the years and she is so grateful that she knows healers, coaches, and others who use their gifts and skills in ways that support her in aligning with herself when things get off kilter.

Her journal, the future self exercise, the products she created herself – these are just a few examples of the tools she now has that support her each and every day. For her, having a variety of these tools is key as different exercises and questions are helpful at different times and in different situations.

And lastly, the foundation. The biggest, most powerful tool she has – Self. Her Self. She sees it as a beautiful cycle – the other parts of her support system enabled her to develop into this strong Self. And now with her Self in place, those other tools just reinforce her more and more.

And now with her team and that foundation of Self in place, she has the ability to be a Support to others in a different way – one that feels more nourishing as she makes sure she is nourished herself.

She continues to explore this notion of Support. She sees it as a beautiful dance of giving and receiving – a dance she is learning from each and every day.

As you continue to explore Support this month, feel free to think about what this story brings up for you. And what might your Story of Support sound like at this point of your life?