Whatever circumstances we are born into, wherever we live, whatever we believe, we all have the innate capacity to feel free. Why? It is part of who we are, in the same way that love is our essential nature. 

 

But, over time, life happens, we find ourselves in difficult situations and sometimes our responses to them take over. Our thoughts about a given situation, our emotional response to it and the stories we tell ourselves about what is going on, expand as we give them attention. Eventually they fill our minds, solidifying into cage bars and trapping us inside. The good news is if you can choose your way into the cage, you can choose your way out. 

 

While you cannot always change your situation, you can always change the way you respond to it. There is always a way to feel more free, whatever situation you find yourself in.

 

 

 

When we’re trapped, freedom can seem like a luxury reserved for other people or a concept we think we know but can’t quite remember. Even then, when flying free seems far removed from our current reality, we want to believe that today can be better than yesterday. That tomorrow can be better than today. That life in the cage isn’t all there is. Our current state of living isn’t a life sentence. At the very least, we no longer want to feel trapped, crushed, small. We all want to escape. 

 

Freedom is the Holy Grail. We want to feel that we have the power to direct our own lives, choose our path and consciously manifest our own happiness.

 

 

In researching my new book Freedom Seeker I talked to hundreds of people in my community to understand their cages, how they coped and, crucially, how they got out. I also analysed my own experiences of incarceration and escape, digging deep for commonalities and recurring themes. 

 

In reverse engineering all these stories, here’s what I discovered: every cage has a door. Every door has a lock. You just need to find the key. It’s that simple. At any time, you have the power to set yourself free. 

 

It’s not about finding a cure for guilt, jealousy, stress, resentment or whatever else your cage bars represent. It’s about taking your mind to a place where those things don’t get any attention – the place where your free self lives. 

 

 

It turns out there is a very clear pattern to escape – it appears in every single story, in every single situation, with every single person – and it led me to identify a set of eight principles that I call ‘the Freedom Keys’, which can unlock the door of any cage. Whatever is trapping you, however dark the space, these Freedom Keys are your ticket to escape. 

 

You can find all these in my book Freedom Seeker: Live more. Worry less. Do what you love. I want to share one of those eight keys with you here today, so you can start feeling more free right away.

 

 

The first of the Freedom Keys is ‘Headspace + Heartspace’. This Freedom Key is a way of finding room to pause, reflect and breathe. It’s about finding quiet opportunities to allow your head and heart to re-attune to one another, and restore your inner calm. 

 

The most important element of this Freedom Key is finding space. This refers to space in your day (time), space in the noise (quiet) and space in the world (place), so you can expand the space in your heart and mind to bring clarity and calm. 

 

By dropping into your body you can find headspace. By dropping into your sense of love, wonder and beauty, you can find heartspace. 

 

This Freedom Key can unlock your cage door when getting up in the morning feels like an effort, never mind getting through the day. When your mind is full and your heart is heavy. When the concept of ‘feeling free’ or ‘doing what you love’ seems a laughable fantasy, because it’s all you can do to remember to eat, in between meetings and family demands, and your overflowing inbox. It can be exactly what you need when you feel drained from the constant giving, emotionally supporting others at the cost of your own wellbeing. 

 

You can activate this Freedom Key by spending time in a physical place that is both restful and nurturing. 

 

You can activate this Freedom Key by spending time in a physical place that is both restful and nurturing. Think elemental – earth, air, fire, water. 

 

If water is a source of inspiration, find a spot on a riverbank or a bench by a lake, or take a stroll by the sea. If you need air, go high, and climb a mountain, hike up a hill, take your flask of tea to a windy clifftop. Watch the clouds or gaze at the night sky. Get up for the sunrise. Marvel at the sunset. 

 

In Japan, they have a therapy called Shinrinyoku, which literally means ‘forest bathing’. It invites you to drink in the healing power of the trees, to be present, grateful, aware. To walk in silence like a fox. To explore, find quiet, sink in, open up. If you can’t get to a forest, go barefoot in your garden, take your dog for a walk or explore a local park. 

 

Nature helps, but it’s not compulsory. It could be a cosy corner of your home or an armchair in your favourite cafe. It doesn’t even have to be a place. It can be inside your daily run, on the pages of your journal, within a yoga pose, in the slow stirring of a risotto, in the flicker of a candle or the flames of a fire pit, on a long cycle ride or in the steam of your morning coffee. 

 

It just has to be somewhere you can breathe deeply and unplug to reconnect. Choose wherever calls to you and take yourself there. 

 

If you can take yourself away somewhere for a long pause, you’ll likely see a huge transformation. Even if that isn’t practical right now, you can start activating this Freedom Key right where you are, with an hour here, a weekend there. Even a few minutes a day makes a difference. 

 

At times like this it’s vital to watch what you’re watching, nurture yourself with gentle music and activities, and protect yourself from violent movies, sensationalist news and social media overload. 

 

When you make space in your head and heart, and filter out any aggressive stimuli, you make room for inspiration and love to rush in. 

 

 

To explore this further and discover the other seven Freedom Keys, read my book Freedom Seeker: Live more. Worry less. Do what you love. Not only will this powerful tool help you escape your cage, the Freedom Keys can guide your flight for the rest of your life. 

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Beth Kempton is the founder of Do What You Love. Beth’s new book Freedom Seeker: Live more. Worry less. Do what you love. is available for pre-order now.