Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
1 week agoShallowing: The Silent Way We Lose Access to Our Own Lives
Shallowing narrows emotional range, muting both pain and joy and preventing full presence in life's moments.
The streets of Gaza no longer hum with the familiar sounds of everyday life. Since October 7, 2023, they have resonated with the sounds of destruction, followed by a silence so profound it feels almost physical-an absence that suffocates words before they can even form. Trapped within Gaza's crumbling walls, we live inside a storm in which language itself has broken down. Simply put, we are losing our very ability to speak. I don't mean that metaphorically. It's all too real.
There she sits at her granite kitchen counter at 9:42 p.m., the blue glow of her phone casting harsh shadows across her exhausted face. The cold surface beneath her forearms contrasts sharply with the warmth of the mug of chamomile tea growing cold beside her-a failed attempt at winding down. Her color-coded calendar app glows up at her like a slot machine, each hour of busyness claimed by someone or something else.