BLOGS

Feeling Lost: The Silent Struggle

There comes a moment in life when you pause and ask yourself...... How did I get here?

Maybe it happens in the quiet hours of the night when your mind won’t let you rest. Maybe it happens when you look in the mirror and barely recognise the person staring back at you. Or maybe it’s a slow realisation, a subtle, nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right, even though you can’t pinpoint what’s missing.On the surface, you might be doing everything right. You have responsibilities, a job, a family, a social life. To others, you seem fine. But deep inside, there’s a void. A sense of disconnection. A feeling that somewhere along the way, you lost a part of yourself.

You wonder:

• Why do I feel so disconnected from my own life?

• When did I stop feeling excitement and passion?

• Where did the real me go?

This feeling—this quiet, aching sense of being lost—is more common than we realise. But it doesn’t happen all at once. It happens slowly, over time, in ways so subtle that we barely notice it—until one day, we realise we don’t know who we are anymore. But here’s the truth: You are not truly lost. You have simply drifted, and like a traveller who has strayed from their path, you can always find your way back.

Losing yourself doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process—sometimes gradual, sometimes sudden. But it almost always begins with one thing: disconnection. We disconnect from our true selves for many reasons:

The Weight of Expectations

From the moment we are born, we are shaped by expectations—society’s, our family’s, cultural norms, and even our own.

• "Be responsible.”

• “Be successful.”

• “Make others proud.”

• “Don’t be too much.”

• “Don’t be too little.”

Without realising it, we start making choices not based on what we truly want, but on what we believe we should want. We choose careers that impress others, relationships that seem right on paper, and lifestyles that fit a mould—only to wake up one day feeling empty.

The Fear of Rejection and Judgement

At some point in life, we learn that being fully ourselves comes with risks. Maybe as a child, you were laughed at for expressing your emotions too deeply. Maybe you were criticised for dreaming too big or wanting something different from what was expected. So, you began to adjust. You became quieter. You dimmed your light. You learnt to blend in rather than stand out. Over time, this self-censorship becomes automatic. You no longer ask yourself what do I truly want?—you only ask, Will this be accepted?

The Wound of the Past Pain

The Wounds of the past pain has a way of reshaping us. A betrayal, a failure, a moment when someone made you feel like you weren’t good enough. These experiences leave scars, and sometimes, instead of healing, we build walls. We start playing it safe. We avoid risks. We suppress parts of ourselves to prevent getting hurt again. But in protecting ourselves from pain, we also block ourselves from growth, joy, and authenticity.

The Noise of the World

We live in a world full of distractions—social media, endless information, constant comparisons. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with messages telling us who we should be, what we should buy, how we should live. We scroll through perfect-looking lives, curated success stories, and highlight reels that make us question our own journey. And in all this noise, our own voice—the one that knows what we truly need—gets drowned out.

The Cycle of Busyness and Survival

Sometimes, getting lost happens simply because we are too busy surviving to notice. Life gets hectic. We work hard, pay bills, take care of others, meet deadlines. We tell ourselves, I’ll focus on myself later. But later never comes…. And as the years pass, we realise we’ve been so consumed with doing that we forgot how to simply be.

The Turning Point: Awakening to Your Own Disconnection

At some point, a shift happens. Maybe it’s a crisis—a job loss, a breakup, a health scare, or an unexpected change. Or maybe it’s just a quiet realisation, a deep knowing that you can’t keep living on autopilot. This moment is your invitation. An invitation to pause. To reflect,  To ask yourself:

• What do I really want?

• Who am I when no one is watching?

• What parts of me have I abandoned?

This is the beginning of Teshuvah—the journey of returning to your authentic self. The Road Back to Yourself. Returning to yourself is not about drastic reinvention. It’s about uncovering the real you that has been buried under years of conditioning, fear, and external expectations.

Here’s how to start that journey:

Get Quiet and Listen to Yourself and the Creation

The creation and your inner self has been speaking to you all along—you just haven’t been listening. Set aside time to be still. Journal, meditate, go for long walks, sit in silence. Ask yourself and be in-tune with the creation: What is my heart trying to tell me? At first, the answers may feel unclear. But the more you listen, the louder your truth becomes.

Identify What No Longer Feels True

Look at your life with fresh eyes. What areas feel misaligned?

• The job that drains you?

• The relationships that feel one-sided?

• The habits that keep you numb?

• The feeling of not having an "anchor"?

Be honest about what is no longer serving you, and give yourself permission to change.

Reconnect With What Brings You Joy

What makes you feel most alive? It could be creativity, adventure, deep conversations, movement, or something you loved as a child but abandoned along the way. Start integrating those things back into your life. Joy is not a luxury—it’s a guidepost leading you home.

Release the Fear of Being Seen

One of the hardest parts of Teshuvah is allowing yourself to be fully seen—flaws, strengths, and all. Start showing up as your true self, little by little. Speak your truth. Express your emotions. Set boundaries. Say yes to what excites you and no to what drains you.

Let Go of the Need for Perfection

Returning to yourself is messy. Some days, you’ll feel like you’re making progress; other days, you’ll feel lost again. That’s okay. Growth is not a straight line. What matters is that you keep choosing to come back to yourself, again and again.

Trust That You Are Enough

You don’t need to prove your worth. You don’t need to earn the right to be yourself. You are already enough—just as you are.

No Matter How Far You’ve Strayed, the Path Home is Always Open! 

Teshuvah is not a one-time event. It is a lifelong practice of returning, realigning, and rediscovering yourself. Some days, you will feel deeply connected to who you are. Other days, you will feel lost again. That’s okay. The journey is not about never straying—it’s about always choosing to return. And no matter where you are right now, no matter how lost you feel—you can always come home to yourself.

Are you ready to take the first step?