As spiritual author of The Self-Love Experiment Shannon Kaiser explains, free spirits often don’t live by the rules or follow traditional paths. And it’s not because they want to be troublemakers, renegades, or rebels, she adds, but rather because “they live from their heart and are comfortable living outside their comfort zone.” Professional intuitive and the author of Self-Care for Empaths Tanya Carroll Richardson explains that free spirits are one of many “soul archetypes,” like the warrior or the healer. “In my experience with clients,” she notes, “some people just come into this life more naturally free-spirited.” She notes this can look like living unconventionally, with an aversion to being boxed in or tied down. “They often have a healthy joie de vivre,” Richardson says, adding they enjoy trying new things “and light up or sparkle when they feel safe to be uninhibited.” Kaiser notes these folks also listen to their own inner guide rather than the outside world, wherever it may take them. “In truth, they just hate to be bored and crave lots of different experiences,” Richardson says. According to Richardson, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with leaning into your authenticity. But that said, free spirits can be misunderstood, “as some people will interpret their wanderlust or their multi-passionate career as a lack of maturity, focus, or discipline.” Kaiser adds that indeed, those who don’t relate can perceive free spirits negatively. They can come off as stubborn, messy, flaky or noncommittal, unreasonable, and even standoffish. But remember, this all depends on who you ask. Free spirits will appreciate other free spirits—but those who don’t identify simply may not “get” them. In other words, while they don’t like being put in a box, that in itself can become a box of its own. “This makes true free spirits full of contradictions,” she explains, like being extroverts who love their alone time, hopeless romantics who bounce from partner to partner, or world travelers who feel isolated, she adds. Whether it’s with a fresh project, dream, or goal, keeping that newness alive will help them thrive. “Once they are familiar with something, somewhere, or even someone, their mind will turn to the next challenge. If they don’t have continuous change in their life, they feel suffocated and get bored and restless,” she adds. Free spirits “encourage people to take healthy risks, think and live outside the box, and be more authentic—those are all good things!” she adds.
