In this day and age of internet and telecommunications, our waking hours are consumed by engagements with clients, colleagues, and friends. But in this endless rush of remaining engaged or connected with others, we often forego the most primal meeting; meeting yourself.
Spending some time with yourself seems like a luxury for most, given the demands of work and family life. And even when the opportunity presents itself, we rush to fill up the space with television, gaming or surfing.
Because most of us are often seized by panic when faced with the prospect of spending time with the self.
Why this gnawing need to escape ourselves? For many, the prospect of being alone spells acute boredom, while it brings some face to face with unresolved issues or painful memories and for some, it’s simply the morbid fear of being alone.
But the fact remains that unless we are able to engage with ourselves, we can never truly engage with others. You might strike long conversations, build friendships, fall in love, network, but unless you find it difficult to engage with the self, engagement with anybody else can only be on a superficial level.
So while we are all out on the journey to engage with the world, learning to engage with yourself, with your inner space is vital. In fact engaging with the self can be one of the most beautiful, relaxing and uplifting experiences. The journey inwards, besides being a voyage of self-discovery is also a powerful tool to center your energy.
So how do we begin to engage with ourselves?
- Meditation – The simplest method of engaging with the self is through mediation. To start with spend at least 20 minutes in silence every day, undisturbed and completely by yourself. Gradually you will feel a deeper sense of awareness and connectedness with your inner space.
- Start a hobby – Be it art, writing, a favorite sport, anything that you love doing. Invest time and energy to really delve into it and challenge yourself. The deeper you are able to go into it, larger will be your scope for self-engagement and improvement. You might discover and strengthen facets of your being, previously ignored or underutilized.
- Try one thing new every day – It is easy to slip into a comfort zone and before you know it, life slips into a dull routine. Gradually the spirit begins to shrink in itself and you start retreating from life instead of plunging headlong in it. So go ahead and try something uncomfortable or new everyday. Try public speaking if it makes you cringe in fear, sign up for dance class if you think you’ve got 2 left feet, attempt an adventure sport or simply take a new route to work. The idea is to get out of your comfort zone and broaden your horizons. And don’t let failures or unpleasant experiences stop you. To keep experimenting is more important than succeeding. And sooner than later,, you will unearth a newfound confidence and fearlessness towards living the life you always wanted.