What Does It Really Mean to Be Awake?
- May 16
- 3 min read
Good question? Or does it give you the ick just reading it?
Bear with me, I wanna bring it back to something real.
“Awake.”
“Woke.”
“Conscious.”
Dare I say, “Spiritual?”
For many, these words are now overused, or even irritating, and I get it. It's such a shame when words that hold meaningful weight get stretched thin by social media, spiritual branding, and our performative culture.
Being “awake” is not about aesthetics. It's not a spiritual language or about appearing evolved. It is about how we live.
I believe being awake means...
We are honest with ourselves.
We are aware of our patterns.
We think consciously rather than reactively.
We pay attention to our inner worlds.
We take responsibility and accountability for our emotional life.
For example;
We notice when we are people-pleasing or repeating familiar but unfulfilling patterns.
We notice when we are avoiding difficult conversations.
We notice when we are numbing with work, food, doom-scrolling, or "Ohhh, I'm really busy!"
Instead of justifying ourselves, we get curious.
That is awareness.
And when we are aware, we learn to be emotionally mature. We begin to understand why certain things trigger us and why we shut down. We understand why we over-function, our fears, our doubts. We stop blaming and throwing things out externally, and start taking responsibility without shaming ourselves.
Spirituality comes into this. It's not a separate thing.
I believe spirituality, at its most healthy, is this:
Presence. Being 'in the room'. We're not constantly dissociating into our phone, our worries, our past, or our future. We're in the moment. We notice what we feel and need.
Connection. We are in a relationship with reality, our body, other people, nature, work, and our values. We're not living in our heads. We are engaged, responsive and AVAILABLE.
Integrity. Our inner world and outer lives are not at war! What we say matches what we do and value. We deliver on promises - sincerely.
Alignment. Our choices are guided from within. From our hearts, instincts, souls. We don't betray ourselves to fit in, be liked, or feel safe. There is no self-abandonment in sight.
We are learning to trust our internal compass.
Respect for life, including your own. We stop treating ourselves as expendable and honour our energy, what we can and can't do. Our health and creativity, our search for meaning. and our need for rest and recuperation.
Spirituality is not an identity or a lotus flower logo. It’s not a language or love and light talk.
No shade if that's your bag. If it brings you comfort, beauty, or community, that matters.
But that is not the real substance. Spirituality is a way of being and a way of relating to ourselves and the world around us.
It is how we live and shows up in really ordinary moments. It happens in conversations, boundaries, choices, repair, restraint and courage.
When we are fully here!
We don't need a belief system to experience this. We experience it every time you pause instead of flying off the handle and every time you choose complete honesty over a comfy, safe story that fits the narrative. When we listen to our intuition instead of following the crowd and when we act aligned with our truest values.
Whether someone calls this psychology, personal development, emotional intelligence, or spirituality makes absolutely no difference to the outcome.
Being awake means we stop outsourcing our lives. To families, partners and bosses. To our social expectations and at the deepest of levels, to our old wounds and trauma.
We are no longer waiting to be rescued. We become an active participant in our own becoming. The architects of our future.
BOOM!
I might add here though..it also means that we accept that we are not finished. Of course, we will still get triggered and make mistakes. Being aware doesn't make us perfect!
BUT - it does make us accountable and that is a beautiful thing.
We have the ability to repair, reflect, recalibrate, and realign. Yessss. All the re's! Again and again.
And there ain't an incense stick in sight. Just a willingness to see yourself clearly and live accordingly.
That is what being “awake”, “woke,” “conscious”, and “spiritual” means to me.
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