What Does It Mean To Internalize?
Internalization means simply integrate and accept beliefs about your identity or sense of self. To internalize means that whatever this belief or identity you have is part of your personality, and your behaviors also match these beliefs. If you believe a compliment about yourself, your behavior will reflect that, and you would say, “Oh my god, thank you, I tried really hard. I’m so glad that you noticed.”
When you are internalizing, not only do you integrate and accept these beliefs about your identity and sense of self, but it is literally part of your personality. With that said, these internalizations can be negative or positive, and this is where it gets tricky.
What Does It Mean To Receive?
It means to pause, accept and reflect on what is happening around you. You must connect to the physical sensation and emotional responses that come up, not just in the moment of a compliment, but all the time. It also means allowing yourself to realize and take in all of the goodness around you, allowing yourself to be loved, celebrated, and recognized. You have to allow that. Feeling a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for people and life. When you are in a constant state of gratitude and appreciation, that is how you can receive more.
Signs You Are Not Internalizing & Receiving
- Deflection of all kinds: compliments, recognition, guidance or help.
- This kind of talk: ”They don’t mean it.” They’re just saying that. They’re just being nice”
- Othering, judgment, alienating yourself and creating separation
- Difficulty trusting the process and staying in the present moment
- Always feeling like you’re running out of time or not moving fast enough
- Dependent on external validation to feel safe and liked
- Extremely hard on yourself and spiraling into self-blame often
- You shut down quickly, you run away or you push people away and then when you crawl into your shell.
- You regularly feel awkward or uncomfortable in social situations.
- You feel the need to defend yourself often or prove others wrong
Why is it So Hard to Internalize & Receive?
Internalized feelings of worthlessness and comparison. Belief that you don’t deserve nice things, or nice people in your life. This then leads to diminished self-love and self-worth, and that leads to chronic deflection. Then from there, your walls come up as a form of self-preservation and a false sense of empowerment.
You think your walls are protecting you and keeping you in power, but it’s not. It’s actually reinforcing the story that you’re not worthy. It’s all internalized shame.
How to Internalize & Receive
Purposely and intentionally receive positive beliefs and reinforcements and internalize them as your truth. First of all, we’re going to choose the new identity, and we’re about to write about them often. You visualize yourself showing up in your new identity and beliefs. You act out and behave as your new identity in the world. Be that person now. Bring awareness and consciousness to how you feel in your body when you are moving through the day and receiving compliments. Smile and soften your inner world. Allow yourself to be porous in safe spaces. Then you have to feel and connect to the energy and the sensation that is associated with it. You have to literally start to become very hyper-sensitive of what it actually feels like for you to just surrender and receive it.