ON THE JOURNAL | Writing for the contradictions within – Embracing both your light and your shadow

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Pushiled: 18/04/2025

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ON THE JOURNAL
Writing for the contradictions within – Embracing both your light and your shadow

Some days, it feels like you’re living between two worlds.

One – filled with light: where you’re kind, patient, understanding, and reaching for better things.
And another – shadowed: where jealousy flickers, wounds ache, tempers rise, and thoughts linger that you wouldn’t dare say aloud.

Have you ever felt this contradiction within yourself?

To us at Animorphix, that’s not a “problem.”
That is the full expression of being human.

And writing… may just be one of the gentlest ways to sit with all those parts — to listen, to converse, and gradually… to come home to yourself.

Your shadow isn’t something to erase

We grow up being told to “stay positive,” to “be our best selves.”

But no one really teaches us that the darker parts – the fears, the shame, the rawness. They need just as much to be seen, understood, and loved.

“Shadow,” as Carl Jung called it, represents the parts of us we often deny or suppress: A fear that once paralyzed us, a trait we’re ashamed of, a memory we avoid revisiting.

They are not enemies.
They are forgotten parts quietly hoping to be heard.

Writing — not to fix yourself, but to meet yourself more fully

Writing isn't about becoming someone new.
It's about realizing you are worthy even in your messiest, most unfinished chapters.

When you sit down with a blank page, you don’t need to prove anything. No need to appear strong, explain your emotions, or be beautifully put-together.

Writing becomes a ritual, a space where you can simply be with yourself. The parts you cherish and the parts you’re still learning to understand. Between your desires and your fears, between the image you show and the person you truly are.

Writing opens a space where you get to be real. And whole.

Three gentle steps to write your way through the shadow

Step 1: Name what you’ve been avoiding

We tend to brush aside the “unpleasant” feelings (anger, envy, shame, weakness,..) But often, those very feelings are a doorway inward.

Writing prompts:

What traits in others trigger frustration or discomfort in me?
What part of myself do I usually hide for fear of being judged, or because I’m afraid to see it?
When was the last time I felt jealous, hurt or ashamed? What sparked that feeling?
When I feel irritated or envious, could it be that I’m longing for something but haven’t dared to admit it?

=> Let yourself write freely. You don’t need to be “nice” or “correct.” Just honest!

Step 2: Trace the roots of your shadow

Every feeling, every belief, every shadow has a story. Maybe it started with a childhood phrase, a moment you felt abandoned, or a truth you were taught to never question.

Writing prompts:

Where did I first learn to believe this? Who told me or what experience shaped it?
Is there a quiet belief I’ve been carrying that’s holding me back?
What’s something I used to see as “absolutely true,” but now I’m beginning to question?

=> When we understand where our beliefs come from, we begin to walk toward light, not blindly, but with clarity and steadiness.

Step 3: Meet your shadow with compassion, not resistance

You don’t need to become someone else to be loved. You just need to learn how to love the parts you’ve long left behind.

Writing prompts:

Can I look at a trait I’ve labeled “negative” through a new lens? Might it hold hidden strength?
What have my “hard” experiences or darker parts taught me — that I now appreciate?
What’s one small act of kindness I can offer myself today?

=> As you move through these questions, remember: this is not a race.
It’s a return to the parts that have been waiting for you.

A Letter to Self

When you’re unsure where to begin, start here.
Write a letter.

From the version of you who is wiser, kinder and more grounded. Like becoming the friend you always needed.Let the letter flow, not to explain or organize your emotions, but simply to show up for them.

That letter might become a quiet bridge between you and the deep within – A place that’s always been waiting to be known, acknowledged and unconditionally loved.

“I see how hard you’re trying.
I see the things you don’t let anyone else see.
But you don’t need to be perfect to be loved.
You are already enough even in your most uncertain moments.”

The journey of self-discovery: embracing all of who you are

Learning to live with both light and shadow isn’t a destination. It’s a lifelong path.

Not to perfect yourself, but to return, again and again, to your truest self.

Through writing and shadow work, you begin to unravel the layers of your inner world. And slowly, you begin to live more honestly with yourself and with life.

Remember:

The shadow isn’t your enemy. It’s the silent teacher pointing you to what still needs healing, what still needs room to grow, what still longs to breathe.

And when you embrace both your radiance and your rawness, you step closer to your most authentic self.

A gentle invitation: continue the journey

As you write, allow yourself to sit with the questions that arise. Even the ones that have no answers yet. Even the ones that feel uncomfortable.

Don’t rush to fix what feels off. Because in those spaces of uncertainty. You begin to see yourself more cleary.

Self-discovery is rarely linear. It’s messy, tender, slow and all the more transformative because of it.

And the more you choose to stay, to meet yourself with kindness and curiosity. The more you’ll uncover the version of you that’s been there all along.