Posted: 1/21/2014 | Personal Development	Comments
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There is no passion to be found playing small–in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. –Nelson Mandela

Have you ever experienced a time where you felt apathetic about your life? Maybe, right now, you have a pretty great job, relationship or other fulfilled desires but the thrill is gone. You might look around and think, “Why am I not feeling it anymore? Why do I feel so blah?” It’s common to feel apathetic, restless or flat from time to time, and it’s an important opportunity to look within and take the next step in deepening your awareness and revitalizing your life. With a little time and effort you’ll find and reignite your passions again.

“Functional Apathy” is a psychological term that describes that flat, neutral feeling. It’s a type of emotional suppression, not quite depression, that stifles the joy in our daily lives. We don’t feel the depths of despair, and we don’t feel the hope and optimism we may once have experienced either. We lack that spark for living. We continue to make adequate effort to work and take care of our basic needs, as well as those of our family, but often with a vague dissatisfaction.

Why would we feel this way? We experience this apathy when we are disconnected from our essence–from the deepest aspect of our being that gives birth to our unique individuality. This is the source of our sense of passion and purpose, and it connects us to that which is greater than ourselves. We might call it our Infinite Wisdom, God or Oneness.

Four factors feed into this emotional suppression and block our ability to connect with our passion:

1. Outer Busyness. Our lives are crammed full of things to do from the time we open our eyes in the morning until we finally close them at night. Kids, spouses, bosses, traffic, shopping, working, driving...the list goes on and on.

2. Inner Busyness. We live with constant mental chatter made up of our thoughts and feelings.

3. Limiting Beliefs. Since we generally accept what we believe as true, it’s sometimes hard to identify our limiting beliefs. We simply accept them as fact and rarely question them.

4. Inhibiting Emotions. When we suppress our painful emotions, we also limit our positive feelings. Some of the difficult feelings include fear, overwhelm, self-doubt, unworthiness and hopelessness.

All four of these culminate in an overarching emotional suppression that can be addressed from both a psychological and spiritual point of view. Psychologically, we begin by becoming aware of our thoughts and feelings and then allowing ourselves to just be with them. When we’re honest with ourselves about all we’re feeling, we’re in alignment with our Essence. Even if our feelings are difficult or painful, when we face rather than bypass or avoid them we release our resistance. This release creates a movement of energy, and we begin to spark our passion again.

From a spiritual perspective, meditation helps us get in touch with our emotions. It helps us explore our beliefs, calm our incessant mental chatter, gain clarity about our lives, purpose and passions as well as connect deeply with our essence. We can be present to all that arises within and around us. We can listen to our inner wisdom which speaks to us through thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. We can also recognize our intuition through hunches and a deep sense of knowing. Listening to our “gut” can potentially connect us with the source of our passion–our essence.

We don’t have to live from an indifferent perspective. We can enjoy a rich, complex and fulfilling experience of life. When we connect with our essence, we connect with our passions and sense of purpose. We grow excited about life again, and from there we can create the life of our dreams.

How have you experienced being disconnected? How did you reconnect with your passion? Your comments make a difference for us all.

For further information on accessing your wisdom, happiness, fulfillment, and peace you desire, click here to learn about Dr. Howard's Multiple Award Winning Book "Your Ultimate Life Plan: How to Deeply Transform Your Everyday Experience and Create Changes That Last."

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