Complete with Emptiness

They say, write what you feel. The cursor just kept blinking, just like me. I…, was empty.

Emptiness is definitely a mental state. Is it because of a lack of meaning to life or just a phase to add to the multiple phases of life that we all go through? I don’t know. But, in my heart is a prevailing sense of despair fighting against the force of optimism that I am trying to rejuvenate through every step of the way. To me, “everyone feels the same way” is not an excuse but is ignorance. I think it only makes it seem more like a disease. Emptiness is as effective as pain. It can change you in a million ways.

When I first experienced emptiness, I could not explain it properly. I don’t think explain it properly even now. Anyway, let me give it a go.

It is not necessarily a feeling which is sad. It is just feeling really empty. Not boredom, not depression. It still weighs heavy in the heart. You still do everything you do but without any significance. It is not the same as being stupid but there exists a part of our absent-minded self. Generally, people say, emptiness is destitute of happiness. This is not necessarily true for all. The feeling of emptiness within one-self is definitely in contrast to the common belief that “empty vessels make the most noise.” This is a feeling that induces the quiet in you. It is something like meditation but without a focal point. Emptiness is something which people claim to feel after walking apart after a relationship or an unexpected loss of a loved one. These are all claims that add to the idea arising due to loss of meaning to life.

So, with these ideas, we can say that emptiness has always been assumed a negative feeling. I want to shed a different light on this.

I think being empty could be a starting point to anything and everything in life. An empty glass can definitely hold more than the one half-full or half-empty. “Emptiness is symptom of not living creatively” they say. I could not disagree more with this. I think emptiness provides anyone with solitude and solitude is the base to all that is creative. All we have to do is to trigger the desire for the art. That might need some external force or a commitment from self which is definitely realistic.

I was in boarding school for the first time in my life. I was 16, I guess. I had a rough first year. I could not trust most of my peers and I spoilt the friendships that I made with the better ones. So, a lot of lessons learnt from that. But, at that age, I was left alone. Academics have never been an interesting diversion for me. I was just empty most of the time. I had one good hobby that I had taken from my parents and that was reading. So, I picked up whatever books I could find, non-academic obviously and read. I always felt, I get so immersed in the content and contexts of the book when I was reading alone in the dark. Writing was always a dream for me. All these books from children’s section to self-help section were always an inspiration to me. So, that is when I started scribbling down my own thoughts. I never shared anything but I did not stop writing. It was a way of escaping my reality then. I wrote anecdotes, articles and lyrics. I did not care if it had any proper meaning and good grammar. I started maintaining my own journal as well. I don’t know how well I write now. I still do not mind too much about the quality of the language that I use to write. The depth of the emotions in it, would it help people understand themselves better and is it relatable to most is all the factors that actually matter to me. So, I think emptiness kicking me into solitude which in turn, helped me focus on my writing has been the path that has worked quite well for me.

I still feel empty at times. I use it as a reason to turn my thoughts in to positive ones. Emptiness is as good as any other emotion. You just have to acknowledge it. Being strong for yourself and facing the emotions as they hit you is important. I would definitely recommend you to not think too much when you’re feeling a sensation of emptiness. Thinking in such times will only lead you to overthinking and eventually, you will freeze and some point where you feel there is no way out.

The most important thing to do during such phases of life is to not avoid people. Self-satisfaction and self-love is the primary targets to achieve to move out of such a phase and for that you must be open to yourself and to your loved ones. If you’re the one helping your friend through emptiness, bring them back to doing things that they hold closest. It could be music, art, dance or travelling. It helps people reconnect to their happy self. It brings them satisfaction.

Emptiness is not always bad. It could even be the best turning point in life for you. Everything does not necessarily work for everyone. Find what helps you improve and drives you forward. Do not shut yourself up and give up on life. Acknowledge your problem and act to move forward in life. Be kind to yourself. You cannot shield yourself all the time from everything. There are things in life that you cannot control but let that not affect the way you choose to live your life.

If a person can go from being full of life to being empty, he/she can definitely come back to the same place with more to life than ever. Believe in yourself because you are amazing!

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Hey, guys! Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I thought only people who know me well did read my work. But, thanks to some of those souls who have made some advertising for me in their circles and helping me reach a few more people with my ideas. Hope you like it!

If we are meeting for the first time, I’m Nandha. I’m not a spectacular person with any superpowers or even amazing grammar. I just write what feels right at the bottom of my heart. Do drop a comment, if you think it was worth the few minutes of your invaluable time.

Thank You!

Have a great day!