So, who are you?

I finally finished an amazing book – The Untethered Soul. It took me months to finish it – after each chapter, I felt like I need to put it down because it spoke so true to me, maybe a little too true! I love coming across things that surprise you and ask you to REALLY think about yourself and challenge existing or new beliefs.

When we are asked this question – Who are you – it’s normal to answer with a list of things that you know to be true.

For example, my name is Tracey. I am a mother, a wife, I’m 37, Australian. I love pizza and chocolate. I love pilates and photography.

But what if I told you, that’s not really me. OOOH. No I’m not a fraud LOL. 🤣 What if I told you that all those things I listed about myself, is not actually me. They are things I am experiencing.

Think about that for a minute. Everything about you, is not you, but things have experienced. And these experiences are as fluid as water.

Australian? Yes but that could change – migration is always possible ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Pizza? I could lose the taste for it ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
37? Yes but I will be 38 next April ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Photography? Hasn’t it evolved from film to digital and further into video? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

These things that I listed as ‘me’ are of course important, they still make up where you are right now – but who are you? You are the one experiencing these wonderful things. You inside, are sitting there watching and living these things.

I have not reached a place with my own spirituality to teach you enlightenment in any means – but this idea does calm me when it comes to my own anxiety.

The idea that these things that you list as who you are – age, gender, likes, dislikes… They are not truly you, but experiences that you are living. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Now I realise how fluid things are – how things are never permanent and how they evolve and grow or disappear. Through Mindfulness, I’m slowly grasping present moments with happiness and gratitude, more and more. Because I know the good times won’t last, just as the bad times won’t either. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So if you’ve read this far – THANK YOU. Thank you for letting me try and express what I have been slowly learning lately. 💜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

And does this make sense to you in any way? And more importantly, does this calm your anxiety in any way? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

The next time you feel your emotions getting the best of you – whether it’s anxiety, or anger, or fear, or uncomfortableness. Try and remember that these feelings don’t last. That you can and will experience it for what it is, with loving attention and clear confidence that you can handle it while it hangs around. And you will show gratitude and grace as it passes on by. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

And the next time you feel joy – feel it. Notice it. And give thanks for it as it happens. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

You are neither your anxiety or your joy.

But you can catch yourself experiencing those moments and decide on how you experience it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀