What I mean by ‘aliveness’

When I talk about aliveness, I’m not referring to energy, productivity, or constant excitement.

Aliveness is quieter than that.

It shows up as sensation, responsiveness, and contact. A sense of being here. A felt connection to what’s happening inside and around you.

You can feel alive while being calm. You can feel alive while being uncertain. You can even feel alive while being sad.

Aliveness isn’t about feeling good. It’s about feeling real.

Many people experience a loss of aliveness as numbness, restlessness, or a sense that something essential has gone quiet. Life may look full and successful on the outside, yet inside something feels muted or undernourished.

Reconnecting with aliveness doesn’t require fixing or optimizing. It begins with slowing down and paying attention to lived experience—what you feel, sense, and notice moment to moment.

As contact returns, energy often follows. Not forced energy, but a natural responsiveness to life as it unfolds.

Aliveness isn’t something you create. It’s something you rediscover.