A Case for Shedding Skin

In biology, moulting (also known as sloughing, ecdysis, and shedding skin) is the natural process in which an animal casts off part of its body at specific times of the year, or at specific times during its lifetime. It is an essential process allowing the animal to grow or adjust to changing temperatures. Moulting can often drastically alter the appearance of the animal.

Comparatively, humans’ physical moulting process is quite minimal (the shedding of our skin is gradual and rarely noticeable); however, we are all in a state of perpetual growth and it’s important to continually adapt to this change, not hanging onto the past – our anachronous skins.

The expression, ‘To be comfortable in one’s own skin’ is about feeling at ease with oneself. Shedding a new skin can be a chance to break with past problems and fears and start afresh.

That is not to say that ‘old skin’ should be regretfully discarded or cast off as a mistake of the past; instead, past selves have served an essential purpose, one that is vital in our journeys. That said, it’s important to let them go, to shed them gracefully, and accept the new challenges and experiences that await us – no matter what shape they come in.

 

W.K. 2014