Protecting Your Inner Light: Keeping Yourself Warm

Imagine carrying a bright light behind your ribs. It’s beautiful and flaring, enveloping you and others near you in a special type of warmth. Then, someone comes up to you and takes a small pinch of it. Then another one. And another. Bit by bit, your inner brightness becomes dimmer. Then, if you don’t stop it, it can disappear entirely. And you’re standing there with a hollow where it just was. 

How do we not lose our inner warmth? We learn to protect and replenish it. This article explores ways to stay close to your inner light, even when life feels cold.

What Is Inner Warmth?

Sounds a little metaphysical, doesn’t it? It’s not. This inner warmth is our inner resource, the power that enables us to be warm towards others and see the bright side of the world. It’s the golden core that makes us into who we are. 

There’s a more scientific way to talk about it, too. Psychologists often link inner warmth to emotional resilience and self-compassion. It is closely tied to the sense of secure attachment — the deep-rooted feeling that we are safe and worthy of love. 

You can envision it as a small bright light, like you’re holding a small Sun in your hands and allowing it to light up others. It’s our ability to smile, support, and show genuine interest. It’s our strange and unique way of making people feel better in our presence and in life, bringing color to the world around us. 

But we can lose it — and unfortunately, it’s more common than we believe. There are so many forces that do so. For example, how does anxiety affect the body when we cannot handle it? Makes us spend our energy. How does overworking influence us? Makes us quiet. How do wrong people hurt us? They cause us to hide. 

Why We Lose Touch With Our Inner Warmth

Even the kindest, most resilient person can sometimes feel their inner light dim. Usually, this process is a long one and doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the small light-stealers that compile day after day, making us unable to protect ourselves. 

Stress and Overwhelm

When life gets busy and demands pile up, our nervous system shifts into survival mode. The warmth we might offer ourselves or others can get lost beneath the pressure to keep up. We work to keep food on the table, to buy something we want, or even indulge ourselves. Being unable to meet these demands and worrying about it makes us emotionally and physically spent. 

Example: You’re rushing through work deadlines, skipping breaks, and snapping at loved ones. You are stretched beyond your limits.

Rejection and Loneliness

People whose affection we crave can suddenly decide to leave us — whether cruelly or not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they go away, leaving us with many unanswered questions and things that we cannot explain. We keep asking ourselves: What’s wrong? Was there something utterly wrong with me that they couldn’t bear? If we aren’t exactly social, the pain can be even worse. Our brain is wired to seek connection, so rejection (even small social slights) can sting deeply.

Example: You came to a party with people who didn’t treat you kindly. Even though you try to persuade yourself that it’s alright, a tiny doubt makes you hurt and second-guess yourself. 

Trauma

Sadly, life scars us. Whether it happened when we were young or recently, harrowing events that made us feel unsafe can never quite leave us. If we haven’t processed this, some part of our light can hide from growing, afraid of more danger. 

Example: You experienced a loss of a family member, and even though you do everything right, there is a part of you still living in the dark.

Practices to Keep the Light Alive

You deserve to restore that light and keep yourself warm, not spending all of it on others. It’s your self-protection. The soft pruning in your mental garden liven reviews. You deserve it. 

Try Tiny Rituals of Pleasure

Don’t allow the routine to steal your joy. Introduce small things that can keep you happy or at least make you smile. It can be drinking tea slowly while watching the sky. Lighting a candle as you’re reading. Taking a few seconds to breathe in your favorite cake after you buy it for yourself. 

Creative Expression Without a Goal

Creativity warms us because it’s an act of life. When we don’t make it a measure of our success and instead play with it, it brings something to us, rather than taking it away. Doodle something in a notebook. Sing a silly song with all your might. Arrange leaves as if you’re a florist. 

Keep Your Body Comfortable

Your comfort makes your mind rest as well. Surround yourself with soothing and pleasant things, wear only comfortable clothes, and give yourself nourishing and tasty meals. Absorb this self-care into your bones.

Playful Connection With Nature

Nature is real and doesn’t judge. It allows us to be anything and will be there even if we stumble or say something silly. And it’s always there. Hug a tree — science shows that it works! Watch a bird and try not to spook it. Count the clouds. Even talk to a plant! Everything can feel wonderfully alive if you let it.

Tending to Your Inner Light

It’s not a one-day process. It’s forever. Just like everything in life needs regular watering, feeding, and sunlight, you require that too. As you do, your brightness starts to bring sense to everything around you. And the world finally feels yours.