The Supportive Pattern…
You are compassionate and caring, and your inherent qualities of empathy and understanding take the forefront. You navigate through challenges with a clear focus on harmony and support, steering through life’s transitions with sensitivity and thoughtfulness.
However, in your quest to provide support and maintain stability, it's important to remember the value of addressing your own emotional needs. Embracing this supportive pattern doesn’t mean sidelining your feelings. Instead, it's about harnessing your natural inclination to nurture in a way that also honors your emotional well-being.
As you design your next chapter after parenting, remember that your ability to offer support is a strength, but so is your capacity to attend to your own needs. With personalized support and actionable steps, you can balance your caring nature with self-care, confidently unlocking new opportunities and embracing your future with both compassion and resilience.
Possible Careers for the Supportive Pattern
Wellness Coach: Focusing on holistic health for women.
Family Counselor: Specializing in parenting, marriage, and life transitions.
Educational Consultant for Moms: Supporting education choices and parenting strategies.
Interior Design Consultant: Creating peaceful and functional living spaces.
Nutritional Advisor: Tailoring advice for women at different life stages.
Childbirth Educator: Offering support and knowledge for expectant mothers.
Elder Care Consultant: Assisting families in navigating elder care options.
Community Garden Organizer: Fostering connection and sustainability.
Book Club Coordinator: Focusing on women authors and themes.
Parenting Podcast Producer: Sharing insights and stories on family life.
Artisan Craft Seller: Creating and selling handmade goods.
Yoga Instructor: Specializing in practices for women's health.
Personal Historian: Helping women document their life stories.
Support Group Facilitator: For various women's issues and challenges.
Herbalist: Focusing on natural health remedies for women.
Understanding the Supportive Pattern is about confronting the truths behind your actions. This isn’t about confining you within a category; it’s about illuminating the instinctive reactions that surface when pressures mount. Consider this not just a label, but a powerful tool for deepening your self-awareness.
This journey invites commitment and clarity. It’s about slicing through the confusion that may have blurred your decisions and relationships. Recognizing your Supportive Pattern serves as a personal GPS in a world brimming with distractions, guiding you back to your purpose.
Continue reading to dive into an exploration of the Decisive Pattern with straightforward strategies for your personal growth. Embrace this chance to grow, refine, and redefine what purpose means to you.
The Gifts of the Supportive Pattern
Calm, patient, reliable, and team-oriented
Exude a sense of warmth and understanding
Masters of active listening and empathy
Approachable and reassuring
Deeply attuned to the emotions and needs of others
Skilled at fostering a sense of belonging and security
Excellent at building and maintaining strong, long-lasting relationships
Focused on creating stable and supportive environments
Strong in emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
Adaptable in maintaining harmony and cooperation in group settings
How the Supportive Pattern might show itself …
You feel anxious or uncomfortable when there's conflict or disharmony in your environment.
You fear being overlooked or not needed.
Thoughts like, “I must always be helpful” or “I can't say no” might frequently cross your mind.
You may struggle with asserting your own needs, often prioritizing others' comfort over your own.
Your focus is often on maintaining peace and stability, sometimes at the cost of your personal well-being.
You work hard to be seen as dependable and trustworthy.
You might find yourself avoiding confrontation, even when it's necessary for your own growth.
You have a strong desire to create a harmonious and supportive atmosphere.
You can be overly self-sacrificing, sometimes neglecting your own boundaries.
Where did the Supportive Pattern come from?
The Supportive Pattern likely developed during a phase in your life when you were focused on creating stability and harmony, yet faced disruptions or disconnections. This could have been a time when your efforts to maintain peace or provide support were overlooked or undervalued, leading to a deep-seated need to be recognized as reliable and indispensable.
Your sequence might have been:
I offer support → I face indifference or rejection → I intensify my efforts to maintain harmony → I feel more taken for granted or unseen.
This need-for-acknowledgment sequence can arise for various reasons. Perhaps you were in an environment where your caring nature was expected but not celebrated, making you feel like a background player. Maybe you encountered situations where your quiet strength was mistaken for passivity. It's also possible that early experiences of being the peacekeeper or mediator reinforced a belief that your worth was tied to how well you could maintain harmony. Suppressing your own needs might have been a coping mechanism in response to these challenges.
As a result, you may have developed a defensive action where your focus turned to consistently supporting others and managing the environment's emotional tone. This is a defense mechanism to shield against feelings of neglect or insignificance, reinforcing a pattern of self-sacrifice and reliability in the pursuit of appreciation and a sense of belonging.
I’m right there with you…
Like you, I've navigated numerous life transitions as a military spouse, constantly adapting to new circumstances and communities. These experiences have fueled my dedication to ensure that no one feels isolated as they discover new paths in life.
Now in my 50s, I am embarking on a fresh journey myself, returning to school to earn a degree in counseling. This step is part of my ongoing quest to redefine my identity beyond my roles as a parent and partner, and to engage deeply with what truly excites me now.
I understand the desire for a life that's not only fulfilling but also exciting and meaningful—especially at this stage. It's about crafting a vibrant, fulfilling next chapter, rich with adventures, personal growth, and connections that we perhaps never had the time or space to explore before.
Join me in this journey of rediscovery and transformation. Together, we can embrace the possibilities that await us in our next chapter, driven by our newfound passions and a clearer understanding of our purpose.
Recognizing when you are in an Supportive Pattern
Identifying when you are in a Supportive Pattern is crucial for self-awareness. You might find yourself prioritizing the comfort and well-being of others, often at the expense of your own emotional needs. Instead of pausing to reflect on your feelings, your focus may shift towards creating a harmonious and secure environment for everyone around you. In these moments, your ability to maintain peace and provide stability becomes your mainstay, even amidst chaos.
Personal Growth in a Supportive Pattern
Personal growth within the Supportive Pattern involves a deliberate shift from primarily tending to others to also caring for yourself. Begin by acknowledging the importance of your own emotional and physical well-being. Allow yourself time for self-reflection and engage in activities that replenish your own spirit. By understanding your motivations and addressing your needs, you can develop a more balanced approach to support and self-care, reducing the dependency on others' peace for your emotional balance.
Transforming the Supportive Pattern
Transforming the Supportive Pattern means evolving from a constant caregiver to an empowered individual who can balance personal well-being with the needs of others. This transformation requires understanding that providing support does not mean neglecting oneself. Engage in practices that foster both self-reliance and emotional depth. Cultivate relationships that are mutually nurturing, and appreciate the reciprocal nature of support. As you learn to balance your caring nature with self-care, you'll discover a more sustainable way of living that enhances both your personal fulfillment and your ability to assist others. This transformation doesn't reduce your capacity to offer support; instead, it enriches it with a deeper understanding of self-care, leading to a life marked by both giving and receiving in equal measure.
Feeling lost now that your kids are grown? Well mama, there is a whole lot of time between 40 and finished!
IT'S TIME TO PUT YOURSELF ON THE PRIORITY LIST.
Navigating your next steps after the kids are grown can be hard. That's where I step in. Think of me as your guide, someone who gets that sometimes, the very success that propelled you in your career seems a world away when you have been focused on everyone else but you.
Let's embark on this journey together to clear the fog. I'll help you spot those hidden triggers, the ones that sneak up on you and keep you stuck. Understanding is power, and with it, you can start to shift from reactive to proactive, from anxious to secure and thriving in your purpose.
I'm here to show you how to break free from those survival patterns that cloud your motherhood and sense of self. We'll work on healing at the core, so you can both step into the present—into a calmer, more connected way of being. You've got a wealth of resources and resilience within you. Let's tap into that and make your second act one that’s full of life and purpose!