Affirming Life

Instinct contradicts our rational mind and emotions drag us as we strive for our moral values to prevail. We want to feel secure and belong, that is why we form a family, but we also feel the need to explore our individuality and our freedom. We want to grow and learn, but we fear changes. We want to play and enjoy, but also achieve our goals, which requires discipline and effort.

Society wants us to fit into the mold, our family to meet their expectations, while we are trying to be as faithful as possible to ourselves, to our own authenticity. Our human condition is inevitably bound to deal with conflict and friction. We feel internally divided, torn by the multitude of voices that dwell within us.

We often flee from ourselves to avoid confronting such chaos. We relieve internal tension by seeking pleasures such as food or alcohol or distractions such as social media. Many people escape pain by keeping themselves active and busy.

The problem is that this situation is not sustainable over time and sooner or later it manifests itself in the form of a nervous breakdown, depression or health problems.

When we discover that we can dialogue with those aspects within us, that instead of being threatening, they are our allies, we welcome them.

Each voice indicates a need, a belief, a yearning or a fear. Some parts are wounded aspects desperate to be heard and healed, others are forgotten dreams we don’t dare to accept, but they are pushing because they want us to experience our full potential.

Mindfulness teaches us to embrace all of it, our personal and unique experience of life in every moment. It invites us to be curious and compassionate with ourselves. Nothing is judged or rejected, neither the supposed negative emotions like anger or sadness nor painful or uncomfortable events. Everything fulfills a function in the unfolding of existence, although our limited perspective does not recognize it.

We assume that life is wiser than we are and we surrender to it.

Mindfulness helps us detach from preconceived ideas, expectations, and fears. It is a practice based on love and trust because it affirms life and says YES with the courage to everything it proposes.