Locked in your own cage?

I don’t mean it literally, of course. But metaphorically, do you feel trapped in your own home, job, family, or marriage? Worst of all, do you feel trapped in your own mind?
There are times when you’re sitting in your room and you can hear the arms of the clock getting louder.
Tick. Tock.
Tick. TocYou can’t recollect what day it is. You can’t even remember when was the last time you went outside your room. There’s nothing waiting for you on the outside, anyway. But why does the room feel like it’s closing in on you? The longer you stay in the room, the more it shrinks. Sometimes, you can hear the rattling of the bars as someone walks past your room. You have to prepare yourself to look organized and in character just in case they walk in. You don’t want them to know you’re planning an escape.
You’re not behind bars, but it’s as good as being behind one. You’re all by yourself. Even if someone tries to talk to you, it feels like they’re talking from the other side of the prison. The outside world. Their words don’t make any impact because there are so many endless thoughts swimming around in your mind that you can barely keep up with them. You can no longer see different perspectives, or even move on from anything.
Two cages at once — the four walls of your room and the circular wall in your mind. When there is complete silence, the kind where you can hear the wind brushing the trees outside, you feel caged. So you break that cage with music. It’s the only thing that saves you. So many emotions and thoughts you can’t describe but they seem to disappear as you listen to Happier by Bastille.
Everyone has experienced this feeling, once(if you’re lucky) or more than once. You resign and lose yourself to anger and frustration. You’re done struggling, so you go and sit down at the end of the cage. You just watch everyone come and go. You’re not asking for help even though you need it the most. You think your isolation has separated you from the world and no one could possibly understand this feeling of being trapped. But this is “the great tragedy”.
The tragedy where sometimes, our souls feel empty and it’s like life has lost its meaning. We are continuously feeling oppressed — living in abuse, having a dead job, or being undervalued. This, eventually makes us feel like the cage is tightening. And on top of that, we have to maintain a facade of normalcy and happiness. We overextend ourselves and sap out all the energy we have.
Why Should We Break Free?
In a paradoxical perception, we have to be caged for us to go beyond. Would you be able to visualize a garden if you’d never seen barren land? Would you be able to appreciate spring if you haven’t lived through winter? Would you be able to break free if you hadn’t been caged?
Maybe breaking free is pure luck and you win the lottery. Or maybe, a new person comes into your life and changes your perspective. Maybe a new opportunity knocks on your door and alters the course of your life. The chance of an external change rattling the bars is not in your control. But that doesn’t mean you cannot try to allow change to come to you.
New people can only enter if you allow them. New opportunities can only come if you apply for them. How you limit yourself is up to you.
When you knock on the door of opportunity, do not be surprised if it is work who answers — Brendon Buchard.
Your brain is as much your enemy as it is an ally. When you really want to do something, your brain is crueler to you than any of your friends will ever be. If someone tells you that you are limitless, your brain will show you what your limitations are. Most people live in the fear of their own minds.
Your mind is so powerful and creative that it can build doors and paths to change your life, but it can also build cages and bars to imprison you for life. Limitations are nothing but rules that your mind makes, to make you believe you are capable of. But when you finally cross that boundary, you will realize that you’re in fact, free and limitless.
I know none of us are naive to think that everything will go our way in life. But having the freedom to choose your own reality is enough reason to break free. Yes, we need to pay our bills, but we don’t necessarily need to build generational wealth. Money, house, possessions, and relationships — we shouldn't allow materialistic things to have the power to define our worth.
How Do We Escape From Our Own Prison?
Put bluntly, we are not our thoughts or feelings. They are just parts of what is happening in our lives. If our mind is making us feel caged, then we need to distance ourselves from it. Giving your brain complete control over your responses and feelings is like handing over your life to another being.
You’re not a puppet of your own mind. You’re a puppet of the illusion of yourself that you hold in your mind — Unknown
What can help you stray away from feeling trapped and controlled is mindfulness. Practice mindfulness to cultivate a sense of calm. It will create more space in your mind and allow your thoughts to be just that, thoughts passing by. Give your full attention to the present moment. Be mindful of all the little things. When you’re taking a shower, pay close attention to the warmth of the water as it touches your skin. Allow your senses to activate and really feel the water trickling down your beautiful skin. Put all your thoughts aside and let every small movement capture you. This level of concentration and awareness will help calm the storm raging inside you.
There are many ways of being mindful and controlling how you let your thoughts trap you. Some choose physical activities like running, while some choose to let their thoughts out by writing. What’s important is to release that built-up energy and feel more at ease inside your head.
If you're feeling trapped in a cage, there could be countless reasons why. But what could help is finding a rhythm to distance yourself from your mind. You don’t have to stay caged in a prison made by your own brain. You can find peace. Release some of the control from your brain and you’ll move closer to making your own life, truly yours.
Sometimes when I overload myself to keep up the productivity, I feel trapped in my own brain. I feel like I’m a mechanical being who’s jumping from one thing to another. Or maybe it’s programmed in me. Things flash before me but I don’t pay attention. I zone out and feel like I’m just in my own head.
Maybe it’s time to give me that break and detach myself from my thoughts. Maybe I need space from my own mind.
Dear Mind, I’m breaking up with you.
Love
I’ll be taking a break from writing as I head into a vacation. It’s my first self-sponsored international trip and I’m heading to Bali, Indonesia. If you’re interested to read travel blogs, you can check out my personal blog which will be loaded with my journey and experience in Bali. Wish you a beautiful week ❤If you want to find more of my self-help and personal development content, you can head over to my podcast, Within 5 Minutes — https://linktr.ee/hacchuu