For years, I didn’t realise just how much my thoughts were shaping the way I experienced the world. My fears, my doubts, my sense of vulnerability - so much of it came from stories I kept replaying in my mind. Stories about not being enough, about needing to be stronger, about having to do life “the right way” on my own. One of the biggest shifts for me was understanding that while my thoughts create my experience of reality, they are not reality themselves. Once you see that, something changes. You gain space. You start to realise that what feels like life itself is often just a film playing in your mind - vivid, emotional, and convincing, but ultimately shaped by your own perception.

Feeling vulnerable often comes from the mind telling us something limiting or frightening. But what if you truly trusted yourself? What if you genuinely believed, deep down, that you are inherently worthy of love and belonging? That sense of vulnerability begins to soften. As humans, we are wired for connection. We are meant to love and be loved. And when you recognise that so much of your self-doubt and negativity comes from the stories you’ve been telling yourself, something shifts. You begin to see that you are capable, resilient, and equipped to face whatever life decides to throw at you.

Becoming aware of how your mind works brings a quiet kind of freedom. Slowly, the bars of the prison in my head are beginning to bend. I feel calmer now, more emotionally steady - not because big feelings don’t come up, but because I can see where they come from (most of the time). I can trace them back to the thoughts or mental images that created them. That awareness is incredibly powerful. It allows you to stop judging yourself for your feelings, to stop assuming they define you, and instead meet yourself with understanding. It also opens the door to greater compassion and patience toward others.

It’s okay to have feelings that don’t sound “good” out loud. It’s okay to struggle. Those feelings feel real because, to you, they are real - they’re created by the stories you’ve been telling yourself. But when you stop replaying the past or worrying about imagined futures, your emotions begin to ground themselves in the present moment. Think about it: how often do you get anxious or upset over something that isn’t happening right now? Someone can affect you even when they’re not in the room. A past event can hurt you again and again, simply because it’s playing in your mind. That’s the power (and the trap) of thought.

It's important not to let the past dictate your life. Free yourself from the stories and thoughts that keep replaying old events, and stop getting caught up in imagined scenarios or “what-ifs.” Let life flow where it naturally wants to go. Don’t force it. Don’t resist it. Trust that you don’t have to fight your way into a meaningful life - it will meet you when you allow it.

When you begin to release those persistent thoughts and emotions, when you let them come and go without clinging, you create space. Space to breathe. Space to be present. Space to notice and enjoy what’s right in front of you. And in that space, life feels lighter, more open, and more real.

Let people help you. Let people support you. You don’t have to do everything on your own, even though you believe you should. We tell ourselves we don’t deserve help, that we should be able to cope alone, or that we don’t want to bother anyone. But those are just thoughts. They feel real, but they aren’t necessarily reality. Most people actually want to help. When we shut ourselves off, we’re not protecting anyone, we’re isolating ourselves.

Community plays a far bigger role in our well-being than we often realise. Check in on people. Reach out. Send the message (even if you don’t get a reply) and try not to take it personally. If you’re acting from genuine care, from a place of inner wisdom, that’s enough. What happens next belongs to the other person and their inner world. They may be busy living their life, or caught up in their own thoughts, and that’s perfectly okay. 

When your mind is clear, life feels lighter. You have more energy, more space to breathe, and a natural openness to connection, friendship, and community. That matters - because none of us can do everything alone. For years, I believed I had to carry it all by myself, but that was just a story I’d been telling myself, not reality. Now, I’m learning that it’s okay to lean on others, to stop taking things personally, and most importantly, to let people support me. 🩷