I am reading “Unmasking Autism” by Devon Price and the introduction has an exercise that requires you to come up with 5 moments in your life where you felt fully alive. I have spent the better part of yesterday trying to remember such moments, but I am not even sure what it means… I was hoping the community here can provide some insights, either by sharing their moments or their definition of being “fully alive”.
Full text of the exercise for anyone interested:
Instructions: Think of five moments in your life when you felt like you were FULLY ALIVE. Try to find moments from throughout your life (childhood, adolescence, adulthood; school, work, vacation, hobbies).
Some of the moments might leave you with a sense of awe and wonder—“wow, if all of life was like that, life would be amazing!” Some of the moments might leave you feeling deeply recharged and ready to face the next challenge, or satisfied and fulfilled.
Write down each of these moments. Tell the story of each moment in as much detail as possible. Try to think specifically about why the moment stuck with you sodramatically.
I think for me it’s this feeling when I am completely relaxed, no obligations in my mind, no stress, no sensory or physical discomfort. Last time I felt it was on a nice warm spring day, lying in a hammock in the garden, reading a book and having a gentle warm breeze flowing over me. That felt so nice, so real.