Last update: January 28, 2021
Be masters of your own life is an expression that is often heard, but what does it really mean? It is simply a matter of being aware of ourselves, to know our place in the world, to be able to explain what is happening to us and to seize opportunities; in short, it is about being “agents” of ourselves.
Let's think of an agency in the literal sense of the word, for example a travel agency. Its function is to offer services that help people meet certain needs. We too, as human beings, have needs and it is we, as "agents of ourselves", who take the first steps to satisfy them, regardless of the fact that at a later time we may need services offered by others .
It is therefore essential to make sure that your "inner agency" works at its best, so as to be masters of your own life.
"We are granted only one life, the results we obtain depend solely on the use we make of it."
-Dress
It's all about awareness
With the term interception (or body awareness) we refer to the perception that each individual has of the inner state of his organism. It is a fundamental factor for maintaining body balance (homeostasis).
Our body and our mind are closely connected to each other, therefore homeostasis is not a purely physiological phenomenon, on the contrary it also concerns subjective sensations (for example emotions).
The greater the awareness of ourselves, the more we will be able to better manage our life. That means, if we are fully aware of the changes taking place around us, but above all within us, we will be able to adapt to circumstances with ease.
"Freedom consists in being the master of one's life and taking little account of wealth."
-Plato
The Effects of Loss of Awareness
In the fascinating book The body takes the score it is described the loss of awareness experienced by many war veterans. These are men who in most cases remain anchored in the past, tied to rules that only work in a military context.
This, among many, is one of the reasons why some individuals feel uncomfortable with themselves. For example, it can happen that the effects of a touching past manifest themselves in the form of a constant inner discomfort. On the other hand, however, it must be remembered that man is a being of habit, which is why a person often learns to live with his own ailments by silencing his instincts and self-awareness. We must also consider that sometimes ignoring the signals of our body can lead us to lose control.
Many physical ailments, including chronic pain, fatigue, headaches and migraines, are nothing but alarm bells that the body sends when it feels ignored. It's really true, not being masters of your own life has a price: we often fail to recognize the elements that are really dangerous or harmful to us or, worse, we are unable to distinguish them from what could be good for us.
Raise awareness and be masters of your own life
The medial prefrontal cortex (hereafter CPFM), also known as the "control tower", has the task of supervising our perceptions. It is well known that meditation and yoga can help us find balance, to become aware of our feelings, but above all to be masters of our life.
In recent years it has been possible to observe the beneficial effects of physical and somatic exercise on the release of energy, especially in those individuals who have a "block" as in the case of former soldiers, who often find themselves "trapped" in a bubble of terror. .
Working on your interception through exercise can be a great strategy to better understand your needs and the messages your body sends.
“Being able to give voice to what you feel, giving it meaning, having respect for your emotions and feelings, knowing how to recognize your needs, these are the fundamental secrets for learning the art of being master of yourself. "
Being masters of oneself means knowing and knowing how to entrust oneself to one's feelings, to one's intuition. In short, listen to your inner self. You have to take the reins of your life, otherwise someone else will control us. But you know, it is not an easy undertaking, above all because it presupposes the knowledge and acceptance of oneself; this is the only way to think about a new life project based on self-awareness.
Here are some questions we can ask ourselves to measure our degree of self-awareness: What do I expect from my life? What are my dreams and aspirations? Who or what do I need to turn my life upside down a bit?
