Losing Yourself

We often read about the importance of being authentic, and staying true to ourselves... but less time is given to the issue of "losing yourself."

If you're of a skeptical nature, you might think such a thing is nonsense; that you would surely know if your personality was changing. But it's not that easy... and often so subtle you're not aware of what is happening.

It would be tempting to think that some active maliciousness would have to be involved, but even that is not true... I speak from experience!

Relationships can be strange sometimes.

Have you ever come across the old saying/truism that pets and their owners start resembling each other, after a while?

So it can be, with us Humans, as well!

In many cases, it can be a good thing, as compatibilities and habit start to mesh, and we form a super connected bond with someone. And that just feels awesome!

But sometimes, we don’t get so lucky... and find that we have to "let go" of more and more of our own preferences and habits, simply in service of "getting along" and not flipping the boat over.

This is by no means limited to romantic love connections... sometimes we have a "difficult" family member, or maybe a boss who makes us feel "less than," in some way.

Perhaps we tell ourselves that we can "deal with it" but are we actually dealing, or just selling ourselves a platitude to lessen our pain and annoyance?

In time, we do end up losing ourselves.

As I mentioned, we might not be consciously aware of it, and it’s sometimes not until a friend or family member we haven't seen in a long time points out that we "have really changed" that we start to see what they are talking about.

Some years ago, I read a fairly scholarly article on the health risks associated with "falsification of self." You might not think it could mean much, health wise, but when you lose yourself you're more likely to suffer from anxiety, hypertension and even depression.

Not good!

Of course, the obvious answer is to just get away from the person causing us to fade away... but it's not always as easy as it sounds, particularly in abuse situations. Even so, simply awareness can be a good start towards reacquring your sense of self.

Because it matters!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday!

How about you? Have you ever been in a situation where it felt like you had "lost youself?" If so, how did you become aware? And how did you change things? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.08.30 01:59PDT
x832/2066