Recently I was doing a reading for a lovely woman I’ll call “Liz.” During the psychic portion, my guides shared a strong message for her: You need to connect with yourself. With your soul.

My guides could see she’d had a difficult childhood. And that throughout her life, she’d always tried to be a “good person.”

The thing is, Liz already was a good person! But she’d been misled to believe there were certain parameters that would make her good — or not. And she wasn’t taking any chances. She didn’t want to let anyone down.

But she was doing so much for others, she wound up neglecting herself. Piece by piece, she lost sense of who she was and what her soul craved. She let herself down.

Unfortunately, she’s not the only one to have this experience. The theme of connecting to the self has come up a lot in the past few months of readings. Over and over, the message from my guides — and my clients’ guides — is that it’s so important to repair and strengthen our bonds with our true selves.

Why is that?

Well, when you’re connected to yourself, it’s easier to make decisions that feel right for you. You feel more grounded and confident. You live in better balance. And you’re able to honor your truest self.

Instead of feeling lost, empty or lonely, you feel solid. You can sense and access the true power you have to navigate your life. And you’re on your way to deepening your connection to your soul.

The Roots of Disconnection

How do we become disconnected to ourselves and our souls in the first place?

Well, remember how it felt to be a teenager? For many of us, the possibilities seemed endless! And we thought we had it all mapped out. “By the time I turn 30, I’ll be working at this great job, earning a six-figure salary, living in my dream home and traveling to exotic places.”

But then, boom!

Reality in adulthood is often very different than what we’d imagined.

Of course, life is naturally full of ups and downs. All of us — me included —  will face all kinds of challenges. It may be grief, divorce, illness, financial problems, global injustice … to name just a few. We experience traumas, large and small.

And we do what we have to do.

Maybe we stay at a job we don’t love, to pay the mortgage. Maybe we stay in a marriage for the sake of the kids. Maybe we avoid big, scary feelings because we’re afraid they’ll swallow us whole.

Piece by piece by piece, we start to bury parts of ourselves. And the more we avoid working through our challenges or postpone pursuing our goals, the more we put layer … after layer … after layer … between the person we’re living as, and who we are at our core.

We sometimes compromise to the point of hurting ourselves or spreading ourselves too thin. By not wanting to let others down, we put our own needs and wants second — or neglect them altogether.

It’s not easy. But the guides point out that what may seem like “the right thing” in the moment may not be the right thing for our soul. And as we abandon ourselves, we chip away at our sense of self, our fulfillment, our contentment. And our well-being.

True power stems from the deep connection with ourself and our soul. It helps us get to a place where we can cope with whatever comes our way — and move closer to our dreams.

When we know how to connect with ourselves, it’s like we’re saying to our soul: “I’m coming back to me, as I am, in my true essence.”

Small Steps to Build Deep Connections

You don’t have to go to big, dramatic lengths to deepen your connection to your soul. Here are a few examples of small steps you can take — starting today!

  • If you enjoy nature, sit outside. Even if it’s just for five minutes, being in the fresh air can bring you a sense of joy. And closer to yourself.
  • Treat yourself. Even the smallest “gifts” you give yourself can have a big impact. It can be as simple as replacing a few throw pillows that you never really liked. Or trying a new shade of lipstick.
  • Make a list of things you’d like to do. They don’t have to be big things! Then review your list. See what you can do — now or in the near future. Then get started on making it happen.

Above all, take good care of yourself. Rest when you need to. Learn how to say no. Ask for help when you need it.

Think about how it feels for you and a close friend to be there for one another. To respect and accept each other for who you are. To be deeply connected.

What if you were that kind of friend to yourself?