A for Awareness
Its start of the A to Z series of this blog.
A for Awareness
The first step towards any change is awareness. So we start with that!
For me, there has been a slow realization that first step to joy is deep awareness of how you feel every single moment and staying true to that moment. Not doing anything special but just being aware, aware of our anger, irritation, frustration, sadness, jealousy or any negative emotion deeply and minutely can itself be uplifting.
Try it, right now!
Aware of how you feel can sound simple, but its deep work. Every moment, we feel a certain way, and most times we may feel nothing. Or so we think. It is actually us not being aware of the depth and quality of our energy and emotions. It’s okay to not have words and frankly it is quite impossible to express how you feel every moment. Its not about expression though. It is about experiencing yourself.
Lot of times we focus on your thoughts and its no surprise we get so lost! Our thoughts are faster than supersonic light and it is impossible to catch hold of it. So it’s easier to be aware of our feelings.
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Binging on the new Netflix series , laughing to cat videos, scrolling the never ending social media feeds, watching movies, listening to music, enjoying delicious food, being with friends — all this can really be great sources for taking us to a wonder land and can give temporary relaxation and fun.
Lot of times, we pursue a lot of above activities to just distract ourselves from how we truly feel.
Do these activities really change how we feel in that particular moment? I believe no. At best, we can distance our awareness of how we feel. And reality does come back, just like a Monday after every weekend!!
If you are still reading, and want to know how to be more aware. I guess — everyone can find their own way and it is a journey of self discovery. Something that can work, is just being aware of our breath. Is it quick or slow , is it deep or shallow, is it rhythmic or irregular and this can actually guide us how as to how we are feeling. This is not some mumbo jumbo — lot of meditations are all about focusing on our breath.
Some Q&A:
1) Why should we be aware of how we feel? (Well, before we can be happy, shouldn’t we be aware of how we feel currently?!)
2) What changes once we are aware? Do we become the Buddah? :) (Well, actually no. But you take the first step.)
3) Can we change our feeling? Can we consciously choose to feel more happy? (Well, there are whole industries flourishing to help us feel happy. But let us start with the 1st step.)
More on this later. For now, lets just take a moment and breathe. :)
