Feeling lost is apart of finding yourself.

To me it hit bc growing up is honestly just figuring it out as we come. From career, business ventures, love and life. It’s all apart of it.

Hi all, been thinking lately how we can gain so much inspiration from indigenous wisdom and came into this book “the Spirit of the Rainforest” (by Rosa Vasquez Espinoza) who in the first chapter goes on to describe one of the most beautiful stories of creation I’ve ever heard

It’s from the Ashaninka people, who she represents, and talks about how before plants, rivers and mountains, there were only human spirits in the planet that were turned into the wildlife and ecosistema we now see in the world. N after death, we go back to the natural world. I’m sure im butchering it but it’s been really inspiring to me…

Any other read like that that u would recommend?

People tell you if you actually let them finish. What folks want isn’t advice. It’s your attention. You don’t win people over with your story. You win them over by letting them finish theirs.

The Courage to Call It Out

Some learn early
to scan the air,
reading every frown,
every whisper,
as the start of a storm.

Fear becomes a shadow,
and when trembling shows,
others laugh —
ridiculing the child
who already carried too much.

So silence takes root,
and shame weaves itself deep:
truth feels dangerous,
fear feels disgraceful.

Yet there comes a day
when words break through:
“That is nonsense.
That is wrong.
I will not agree.”

The trembling may remain,
but so does the proof —
we can speak,
we can stand,
and the world does not end.

Courage is not the absence of fear,
but the voice that rises
anyway.

The other day at work, I noticed a colleague looking really upset. When I asked if she was okay, she burst into tears and told me how her mother-in-law had made her life miserable in the past.

When I asked if they were still living together, she said, “No, we moved out almost a year ago. In fact, she even called this morning to wish me on my anniversary.”

That’s when it struck me, the suffering wasn’t happening anymore, but she was still reliving it every single day. The past had a stronger grip on her than the present.

I shared a piece of Sadhguru’s wisdom with her for better clarity,

“What is past cannot be fixed. What is now can only be experienced. What is next can be created.”

She fell silent, then quietly asked, “But how do I actually let go? Is there any tool or way to forgive and move on?”

I shared how meditation & mental hygiene helped me break free from my own compulsive habit of replaying the past. It hasn’t made me perfect (I’m still very much a work in progress), but it’s given me the ability to be present, to live life as it unfolds instead of being trapped in old stories.

And it makes me wonder… how many of us are unknowingly prisoners of our own past? How many are still trying to “think their way” out of stress without realizing there might be another way?

Are You Still a Prisoner of Your Past Or Did You Find Your Way Out?

Have you ever stopped to think about the source of your emotions? According to Sadhguru, the answer lies within ourselves. We have the power to manufacture whatever emotions we want – joy or misery, fear or love, hatred, anger, anxiety or ecstasy.

This perspective is both empowering and daunting. It means that we are responsible for our own emotional state, and that we have the ability to choose how we respond to life's challenges. When we recognize this power, we can begin to take control of our emotions and create the life we want.

Many of us believe that external events or people dictate our emotions. However, this perspective suggests that we have the power to choose how we respond to these stimuli. By acknowledging and harnessing this power, we can break free from the influence of external factors and cultivate a more positive and resilient mindset.

It starts with self-awareness and a willingness to take responsibility for our emotional state. By practicing mindfulness, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines, we can cultivate inner peace and develop a more positive outlook on life.

What do you think about this perspective on emotions? Do you believe that we have the power to manufacture our emotions, or do you think external circumstances play a bigger role? Share your thoughts.

I can follow a routine for a week—sit 10 min, daily dairy, no phone after 10. Then one busy night knocks me off and I spiral: “might as well” scroll, sleep late, and avoid the cushion. The shame of breaking the streak feels bigger than the routine itself.

I know this isn’t a scoreboard, but my brain acts like it is. I’ve tried small resets—pause, breathe, jot a line in a notebook—but some days I still avoid starting.

What’s your 2 minute reset when you’ve already “blown it” today? A phrase? An action that makes restarting feel safe instead of punishing? Help appreciated..

Previous life - Mindfulness has been important in my life. I have practiced it on and off for 10 plus years. I used it to quit smoking and never smoked again. I practice Vipassana and it helped me deal with some major personal health issues in past.

Current life - Now I find myself widowed - young - unexpectedly - after being married to the love of my life. I had everything that I ever needed or I ever wanted. I am not able to be mindful at all. I can't even switch off the TV for longer than 10 minutes.

Question - I know I need to face my loss slowly and gently - how can I develop my mindfulness again? Has anyone gone through a major loss - lost themselves and then began practising again? I know this is the answer - I just don't know where to begin.

is this even a things? 1 minute mindfulness? is it even worth trying? The apps? Saying for 1 minute of mindfulness instead of doomscrolling?

I have trouble recalling the experience of being present sometimes. In the moment, being present feels rich: I'm attentive to my surroundings and whatever's happening in my mind without getting "caught up" in them, and my sensory experience feels vibrant.

Afterwards, though, I have difficulty recalling the details of that experience. It seems easier to recall experiences where I'm ruminating, obsessing, distracted, etc.

Anyone else experience this?

I sound SO nihilistic. But it’s how I’ve felt in the past two months.

I’ve always kind of been a fun, easygoing and energetic person. I know it’s against basically every rule ever to say my age online, but I’m 15, and I think that it’s really important to provide that information since I don’t know if it’s hormones or just genuine sadness. Also I kind of need advice from people who are or used to be my age, so there you go.

I have a loving family and really great friends. I’m not that insecure of my looks. I don’t hate myself or anything. I just can’t pinpoint why I feel this way and it’s so frustrating not knowing the root of it all. A year ago, I was being bullied really heavily, which made my mental health decline. At least then I had a reason to be sad. Now I feel super guilty about feeling like that again, cause I think I don’t deserve to be sad. I barely have any thoughts now, and when I do, they’re just in the back of my head and I don’t feel them. Music doesn’t make me inspired anymore and inspirational movies barely do anything. Which is weird, cause I’ve always been the type of person to feel everything all the time.

There’s a huge chance the cause could be social media? I think? At the same time, I barely use it and my screen time has been the same for 5 years. Nothing has changed in the real world but in my head it feels like I’m angry and sad all the time with no real reason. I don’t feel like a kid anymore and it’s terrifying. I’ve known since I was a kid that I should cherish my time as a kid (and teenager) since they’re special. I don’t ever want to be an adult and it feels like I’m becoming one. Clearly I’m not though, since that’s an immature thought.

I want my energetic self back but she feels like an entirely different person when I describe her. I feel like she’s gone forever and I don’t wanna be this shell of a person for the rest of my life

(For all the people who will say ‘talk to a friend or family’ I kinda can’t. I’m not gonna expand on that cause oops privacy…but yeah just keep in mind I would rather not)

I have done 60-90 minutes meditation a day in the past, and today I have done my first 2x60 minutes for the first time, by focusing on the breath and and every now and then acknowledging unpleasant sensations. I was met with much discomfort and stress and according to my Whoop my stress levels steadily increased during the second session, whilst the first session it was steady. I wonder if there is anyone else whose stress levels increase regularly during meditation sessions?

I've been looking into perfectionism recently. Previously, I've always considered myself a perfectionist, but according to what I've seen, perfectionism is attempting to be perfect to make yourself "better" in a way to others, potentially due to past shame. For me, I'm more of a perfectionist in the sense of if something isn't perfect, it's wrong to just me; I don't feel any urge that I'm not good enough to anyone, but more in the sense that if it isn't right then it's wrong and I have to fix it or else IT isn't good enough. That part directly translates into me not thinking something I made is good enough if it's something I made, but it's also with things other people have made as well. For example, in Bloxburg on Roblox, if my friends houses aren't what I deem "perfect" or "good" it messes with me quite a bit. I can't stand imperfections in any way shape or form, it isn't perfect and so it's horrible, hence why I've always deemed myself a perfectionist. However, this doesn't seem to be the same thing as the perfectionism I've read about, so what else could this be about, and how can I maybe stop it?

The Two Kinds of Belonging

One kind of belonging
is earned with applause,
fed by nods and numbers,
a hunger that returns
the moment it is fed.

It keeps the heart
chasing faster,
anxiety tethered
to the shifting eyes of others.

The other kind
is given by the sky,
by the hush of trees,
by the river saying,
“You were always part of me.”

Here, no performance is needed.
The belonging is steady,
kind,
and quiet.
It asks nothing —
only that you remember.

Thought this might be useful. A widget for the phone home screen to show how many weeks you have left before a certain time (e.g reaching 60, 80, etc). The app I use to show weeks left is "Time Until: Countdown + Widget". It can show weeks + days, month+ days or weeks, years + month, etc.

You can also use "Yearly Progress" if you'd like it to show the progress bar, %, and days left. It only shows days though. It's useful to track how much of this year has passed and how many days are left.

Thats it

Interpreted as Stoic counsel, the lyric claims an internal standard of worth: belief is epistemic authority first, and it’s audited by behavior after. What single act would constitute sufficient evidence to you that this belief is warranted?

Every time I catch myself living on autopilot, I press a button on this little tally counter strapped to my finger. That click reminds me to come back into the moment and think: I’m here.

We joke that the number on the counter is our “Level of Awareness” — like we’re grinding XP in real life.

Why bother with a clunky counter instead of just remembering? Because the thing is big, awkward, and keeps nagging me to notice it. Plus, seeing the numbers go up is fun — it turns mindfulness into a kind of game.

So yeah, apparently I’m speedrunning enlightenment with a finger gadget.
Has anyone else tried weird hacks like this to stay mindful?

Suddenly that project thats due at work doesn't matter anymore. I get that nature makes us relax but its amazing how much life feels so much easier. Just makes me realize the things we stress or worry about aren't that important. It makes me question all the unnecessary stress I put on myself when I get out in nature.

Stoic ethics treats adversity as a laboratory for character: the event is neutral; your judgment and response give it value. What is one bounded hardship that concretely developed a specific virtue in you?

i came across this quote today (“anxiety is something that’s part of me, but not who i am”) and it hit me harder than i expected. i think so many of us get stuck believing it’s all we are.

one thing that’s been helping me lately is writing down small prayers + affirmations to remind myself i’m more than the anxious thoughts. it started just for me, but i put them together into a little pdf in case anyone else could use the same comfort.

it’s free, nothing fancy just the exact words i keep close on the tougher days. maybe it brings a little calm to someone here too. 🌸 link

Note to MOD: I am not sure but I read rule it says no self promotion and something etc , i think it doesn't come on ad or promotional I am just giving free pdf to claim , idk whatever you feels mod...

Some years ago I was browsing through reddit and came across a meme that basically said the following "Scrolling is so stimulating, it's boring. Meditation is so boring, it's stimulating."

It was ironic, but when I thought about it for a while it stuck with me. The core idea made sense: The phone is not the problem, we are. I hadn't meditated before but it interested me since I really suffered from not being able to focus as I was severely phone addict with over 9 hours of screen time daily. I slowly started reading books, going into neuroscientific support, and looking at anecdotes for meditation, from succesful people like Steve Jobs who all preached the practice. Eventually I was convinced enough to give it a shot.

I tried meditating 10 minutes daily though this was far from smooth sailing. At the beginning it still took huge effort. It was mind-boggling when I first realized how little control we have over our focus, just focusing on the breath for 30 seconds felt impossible.. However, I stuck with meditating. Not only while sitting, but while walking and even speaking.

Fast forward 5 years and ive fallen in love. The best how I would describe it is: You know the captivating feeling of getting sucked into TikToks/Instagram reels/YT shorts? You can redirect that attention to any activity instead, like studying or working. There are limits to this, but meditation extends these limits.

I can use my attention more freely. Like being the captain of a ship, noticing waves of distractions before they take you over. Flow state is on command. A bonus is the stoic calm that follows you. And then there's the epistemic, moral, and ontological rabbit hole of the Buddhist dharma. (I highly recommend the books The Mind Illuminated and MCTB2 as a starting points for meditation)

Wanting to share this feeling with the world, I quit my full-time job. It saddened me that mindfulness hasn't become more mainstream, especially in our generation of doomscrollers. So I built Monkeyless, an app that locks your entertainment apps until you meditate.

It started as a personal tool to improve my meditation habit, but it grew in my country and quickly reached 10k users on Apple and Android with initial positive responses. It's a paid app since it's my main source of income. But mental health should be accessible to everyone, so we run a Free Access programme for people whenever money is an obstacle. Money is just a tool for me, not an endgoal.

I'm convinced meditation is the most powerful solution to phone addiction, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it saved my work focus. If you are doubting whether to try meditation out, please give it a try. i'd love to hear your thoughts and answer any questions you might have about my meditation journey or Monkeyless.

I’ve noticed that the way I spend my first hour after waking can completely change the rest of my day.

Some people meditate before coffee, some light incense or candles, others go for a quiet walk, and a few simply breathe mindfully while the kettle boils.

Personally, I’ve found that 10 minutes of mindful breathing before touching my phone sets me up with a calmer, clearer headspace. It feels like building a buffer between myself and the day’s chaos.

I’m curious:

Do you have a specific ritual that helps you drop into mindfulness more quickly?

Have you noticed certain habits (journaling, stretching, tea preparation, prayer, etc.) make it easier to stay mindful throughout the day?

Or do you prefer letting the morning unfold naturally, without structure?

Would love to hear what works for you. Maybe we can all share ideas and build a “toolkit” of rituals to try.

Whenever we are thinking thoughts and feeling emotions, we do so from the place of our ego, ever so slightly. It takes conscious effort to observe the ego that is thinking and feeling, and to step into the place of the True Self (also known as the Observer self, Unconditional Love, Empty Nothingness (Shiva), etc).

When you observe your thoughts and emotions from the place of the True Self, you accept and allow what arises to exist as it is. You do not judge, you do not try to change these thoughts or feelings, and you fully embrace that feeling as it is. As a result, those thoughts and feelings naturally dissolve and return to the sea of unconditional love. This is our baseline natural state, as the True Self.

However, when you are observing these thoughts and feelings from the place of the ego, you believe that you are observing, but actually, you are judging these thoughts and feelings. “Ah, I don’t like this feeling, it’s uncomfortable, I feel unsafe.” “I shouldn’t think these thoughts, these thoughts are wrong and harmful.” “I would never think or feel this.”

The empty nothingness/unconditional love is always present in our consciousness and heart, but when the ego is blocking the way, it is difficult to remember to tap into your True Self.

Instead of trying to forcibly change yourself to “like” this feeling and “accept” these thoughts, try and observe the ego having these thoughts. As a result, you naturally place yourself in the perspective of the True Self.

When I practice living and feeling from the True Self, I notice what I am feeling and thinking, from an observing distance.

“Ah, I feel a lot of fear arising right now.. I’m feeling that this fear is deeply painful and uncomfortable… Why am I feeling this fear? What’s causing this fear? What is this fear trying to get me to avoid? What is the feeling I truly want to feel?”

As I am asking myself these questions, I embrace this fear fully, similar to opening both my arms out wide to welcome and tightly hug this feeling of fear. That it’s safe to show me everything, I won’t turn away. I’ll be right here with this fear. I won’t judge this fear. Even if I feel this fear, even if the worst happens, I will not abandon myself or judge myself.

What I am doing in this instance is allowing my ego to “act” as if I am the True Self. When I consciously choose to accept, love, and embrace these negative emotions, my ego cannot judge them at the same time. As a result, the cloud that is my ego that resists and blocks this emotion from flowing, steps back for a moment, and the True Self is allowed to shine its light in the sky.

Clouds may appear again, and it may rain, but it doesn’t mean that the sun is gone. Even if you can’t see the sun in the thick of the night, it exists out there, somewhere.

About a year ago when I was doing this practice, I bought some books from Goodwill and felt guilty and bad because I felt like I wasted money. I realized that this feeling was strange, and I dove straight into observing how I was feeling.

I learned that it was from a childhood part of myself that was made fun of for wearing the same jacket to middle school. During that time, my parents didn’t have work or much money, and we were barely scraping by. I had a jacket that I wore all week long, because I didn’t have anything else to wear. Over time, the jacket became full of holes, but I kept wearing it anyways. My classmates noticed, and they asked me, “Why do you keep wearing the same jacket every day? Don’t you have anything else to wear?”

I didn’t realize this was actually suppressed in my subconscious until I went within to observe these thoughts. She had believed that not having money will make her unworthy, and that people would judge and look down on her. I sat with that feeling, and felt this sadness, pain, and fear with her.

I dove in deeper, and I found a core belief of “If I do not have money, I cannot be free.” I felt really stuck, helpless and hopeless back then, and this experience of questioning why I felt like those Goodwill books were a waste of money, allowed me to go straight to the core of it all.

I then realized that I am holding onto a belief that money determines my freedom. I observed that belief, and I realized that it’s not true. Money doesn’t fully determine freedom. Here I was, unemployed and jobless (in the traditional sense, I am a full time indie game developer), but I was in the most free, liberating phase of my life, creating my dream indie game and spending all my time doing everything I ever wanted in my whole life. Even when I had money and a full time job that paid well over 6 figures, I felt like a prisoner.

So, why did I believe it for so long?

I never stopped to observe it or question it, I just went along with it, and therefore that belief and fear ran the narrative.

When you experience thoughts and feelings, they are subjective to each other. They always come in pairs.

The feeling of not having money comes hand in hand with the feeling of having money.

The feeling of not knowing something and feeling dumb, comes hand in hand with the feeling of knowing and feeling capable.

When you keep suppressing the “dumb” and “poor” part of yourself, you cannot experience feeling “capable” or “abundant,” because you are stuck on one side, trying to run away from the part of yourself that you are judging.

In that same logic, when you suppress fear, you cannot fully feel love. When you deeply fear abandonment and rejection, you cannot fully receive or feel love, the kind of pure, unadulterated love that washes over your whole being. You can only love through the distorted filter of fear, where you worry that they’re going to stop liking you and leave you. This is because our ego is programmed to avoid fear, and even love, becomes means to avoid fear.

When you allow yourself to feel the fear of being rejected or abandoned, you do not run away from it, and therefore, you allow yourself to love fully.

Water must come and go in order to flow. When it is blocked, it starts to rot.

When fear is allowed to flow, love will naturally rise in its place.

When you fully feel the fear of “I do not have money, and I’m afraid I won’t be loved or accepted” and you love the part of yourself experiencing that feeling, you no longer block this part of yourself from flowing. You may experience money flowing to you, or regardless of however much money you have, you feel that you have enough, and you do not experience strong waves of emotion from however much money you have.

When you suppress the fear and feeling of not having money, you end up living as the part of yourself that feels unworthy, and fears not having money, for the rest of your life.

The most important part of this process is, you do not do this practice in order to get rid of your fear so you become “clean” or “pure”, or to manipulate your emotions in order to live as the “rich” and “capable” version of yourself, but rather, to allow yourself to fully accept and allow what naturally comes and goes.

The True Self doesn’t care about being rich or poor, or being loved or rejected, the ego does. The True Self doesn’t judge your feelings saying it’s appropriate or uncomfortable, the ego does. The True Self exists in infinite, unconditional love, and the ego exists in that love also. The ego just doesn’t remember from its narrow perspective and definition of love and what is acceptable.

The True Self embraces all that arises, in its vast bosom of infinite, nothingness. And naturally, when we choose to consciously accept, allow, and embrace what we are experiencing, we allow ourselves for a moment, to exist in tandem with the True Self.