I took to writing because I love words.
So I used words to make sense of the world.
When something felt odd, I’d name it and talk it through. I believed myself to be an introspective person.
But there were times when I was caught unaware. Flabbergasted by the way I feel.
I’d work hard for something, only to feel flat when I finally had it. I’d be happy and relieved about something not going my way.
I was confused. And I wanted answers.
It remained there at the back of my mind for long.
Then one day, my world shifted.
I became a mom.
It was as exciting and exhausting, as promised. But it was more. Everything had moved.
Overwhelmed by the changes, disoriented by its pace and excited by the prospect of a new life, I vowed to dig deep.
This time from a new angle.
I went within and stayed silent.
I found that when I didn’t talk, my mind didn’t either. At least not as much as earlier.
But it did tell me things.
I listened and understood in a way I hadn’t known before.
It was a knowing that I couldn’t put in words. But by now I knew not to keep relying on words.
Our conscious mind talks in words. It debates and deliberates, weighs pros and cons.
Our unconscious mind speaks in feelings and emotions.
We need both to make sense of our world.