What does freedom mean to you?
Getting free from the inside out
What does freedom mean to you?
I equate mindfulness with a sense of freedom. In my regular practice of mindfulness, I feel I’ve been liberated with the following freedoms… seriously. I believe that through learning about and practicing daily mindfulness, I have been set free in so many ways. Of course, I’m not completely free, but I have a much better relationship with my own struggle than I have had in the past.
- The freedom to choose what to pay attention to
- The freedom to know and accept all of my feelings – without self-condemnation or judgment
- The freedom to really feel my deepest, most uncomfortable feelings and still have value/survive
- The freedom of empowerment that comes with self-awareness
- The freedom to be empathic and hold other people’s experiences without walling off
- The freedom to have all of my senses open and receptive
- The freedom to soften my heart
- The freedom to recognize and share my own wisdom, wise thinking and wise action
- The freedom to own, sit with and hold my own feelings, wishes, dreams, thoughts, actions as long as I need
- The freedom to let them go and set free my feelings, thoughts, body sensations when the time is right
- The freedom to accept and forgive my human-ness, vulnerability, mistakes
- The freedom to grieve deeply over the pain and suffering experienced by others and to connect with my own
- The freedom to come together, to love, to connect
- The freedom to choose how I want to communicate and act
- The freedom to find, joy, compassion, generosity, gratitude everywhere I look, if only I look
- The freedom to connect with my body
- The freedom to experience and know very intimately how others feel and not be overwhelmed by that
- The freedom to have understanding, and sometimes forgiveness, for people who have hurt me
- The freedom to pay attention to my own biases and judgments and recognize the pain I have caused others
- The inner freedom that comes with meditation
- The freedom to experience the gifts of humanity that come along with tragedy or loss
- The freedom to be fully present
- The freedom to be calm, even when others are not
- The freedom to experience gratitude, appreciation, grate-FULL-ness
- The freedom to know mindfulness is heart-fullness
- The freedom to be inter-dependent and to know I am not alone
- The freedom to choose courage even when I feel scared
- The freedom to breathe deeply
- The freedom to have self-compassion
- The freedom to notice when I think or act negatively in ways that may be harmful to me or others, and to relate to that struggle in meaningful ways
- The freedom to listen
- The freedom to welcome and embrace nature into my life as a soul sustaining force
- The freedom to appreciate all of the privilege that I have and work toward a better world where everyone has abundance and privilege
- The freedom, as a woman of color, to know my story is important and rich, my voice is strong, and that I can mindfully honor the complexities of it
- The freedom to know my own truth.
With a daily practice of mindfulness – sometimes in the form of a meditation, or a RAIN practice, or attending to my breath, or tending to my emotions, thoughts, body – I have been able to feel access to deep personal freedom.
I wish you the opportunity to have access to your own deep personal freedom as well.
What does freedom mean to you? When do you feel most free? Please respond here and share your thoughts. I’d love to know how you experience freedom – or challenges to your freedom – in your daily life.
If you or someone you care about is struggling to find more inner freedom, please call me for therapy appointment.
For more ideas on how to bring more calm and less worry into your life, click here for a free email course on Mindfulness.