Photo by YANA HURSKAYA
RECLAMING YOUR TRUE SELF By Angela Dunning
DESPAIR CAN BE A BRIDGE TO CHANGE
N
ot many people let themselves feel despair. They stave it off in any way they can, fearing its darkness and an all-pervasive sinking feeling that pulls them down out of normal life. The biggest thing people fear with despair is that they will never return back to the surface, that they will be taken under forever. It feels very risky and scary to let yourself feel despair. Yet, in my experience, this is not always the case. Rather, I've found that letting myself feel despair when it comes calling is
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usually a way to a deeper understanding of myself, as down in that dark pit, I meet all of my demons; all of those negative thoughts and voices that want to pull me down and tell me to give up; that it's hopeless and that things will never get better. But, it's precisely in those face-to-face meetings with all that I fear that I find the seeds of new life, change, and renewed energy. These encounters revivify me, and as I come back up, I bring this new energy and compassion with me, not just in terms of my own life but also towards the world.