09/19/2022
Thoughts from the car:
One of the most common challenges I work on with my clients is “identity”. “Who am I?”. Depression, Anxiety, addiction, trauma, mental health anguish can strip away the “knowing” who we are, what our foundational grounding is, and where we identify. It is the torturously infamous human quest for grounding, assumed to be found in identifying identity. And the surrendering faith in the concept that if we know who we are, we will find peace, we will find the “happiness”, the “life”, the treasure box of goodness we are so eagerly searching for. It’s a common human challenge to find a definable identity. I have found that it is just this quest, the quest to define with parameters and boundaries and titles and specifics, that is part of the underlying causes of depression, anxiety and mental anguish. One of the gifts, one of the blessings, one of the fortunate perks of being human is that we can become, at any time, anything we want. We never have to live inside a cage or a box of an identity. We can absorb and morph and grow and blossom and explore limitless definable characteristics. Just because we were born in a certain place, just because we are born in a certain religion, just because we are born and grow in a certain society doesn’t mean we are trapped/caged into that. For example, I often hear in couples counseling, one spouse say to the other, “That’s not you. That’s not who you are! You are…”. Meaning, the accusatory spouse is uncomfortable with the transformation their partner is making. Or they would like their partner to stay inside the identity that they identify their partner to be or worse, who they feel their partner should be. Some individuals, some societies, have an expectation of control. Meaning, once we identify in a certain culture or certain religion or style, or social group, etc…that that is “who we are” and we are to stay within that identity. And if we stray, explore, widen our reach, then we are lost or fake or pretending. This in turn, traps the mind, traps the spirit and traps the spark which can lead down the toxic path to depression, rejection, self doubt, etc. I think the question should be not “I don’t know who I am? Or “who am I?” But rather “what is it I want to learn about?” And, “what do I want to blossom into?” And give ourselves and others the empowered freedom to change/morph/grow at any time. I think true identity, true self awareness is embracing the calm limitlessness of knowing we can grow and change at anytime we want to!