Author: Manal
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When you look inside
As someone who has experienced obesity and everything that comes with it, physically, emotionally and socially, I look back now and recognise a kind of suffering that many people living with obesity know all too well. Both men and women who have been through, or are currently going through, this experience may know exactly what…
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What if we had it all wrong?
We go through lifeas if worryis the ultimate act of self-protection. What a delusion! As if sadnessis the ultimate act of loyalty. What a delusion! As if spotting what’s wrong with our livesis the ultimate form of intelligence. What a delusion! As if bottling up our emotionsis the ultimate form of strength. As if following…
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Instructions before visiting Earth
A poem by James McCrae In the event that you wake up and find your soul separated from source and manifest into material form, don’t panic. Your condition is only temporary. You have been selected for the opportunity of human incarnation. This 3D simulation is designed to break up the monotony of eternity by giving…
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When silence is deafening
There is a kind of silence that isn’t quiet. It follows you into the kitchen while you make coffee. It sits beside you on the sofa. It slips into the seconds between turning off the light and falling asleep. Nothing is happening. Somehow so much is happening. I have been thinking lately about how strange…
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Beyond gratitude
Gratitude is such an amazing feeling and it does not even have to be for something big. The energy of gratitude is the same whether I’m thanking God for the scent of a flower I came across while walking in the park, or for news of a loved one healing from a disease. Yes, intensity…
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The art of being a feminine experience
The other day I woke up with a delicious feeling of femininity and a deep sense of what it means to be a woman in a relationship. Although there was no one lying next to me, I imagined what it would be like to experience a loving relationship with a masculine man whose presence oozes…
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Inner pease is not perfection
There’s this assumption that people who write about inner peace must have mastered it. As if peace is a destination someone arrives at and never leaves. The other day someone said: “The people who write about inner peace the most seem to experience it the least.” Maybe… but I truly believe that only people who…
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From head to heart
Yesterday, something happened that triggered me harder than I expected. My ego was the first to jump into defence. My inner child stompped her feet, she felt neglected, like she didn’t matter. A swell of emotions was about to take over my entire being. But my heart stepped in and saved the moment. A few…
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The journal that couldn’t hold my feelings
I thought writing was helping me heal. Sometimes, it was helping me avoid feeling altogether I remember quarrelling with my mom that day about which was more important: tucking in the carton lid of a cereal box or the plastic bag inside it. As funny as it sounds now, I was fuming. I retreated to…
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A little less foreign
Yesterday, I had a great time with friends. I spent the day with three of my closest friends, people with whom I can be fully myself, without ever feeling judged or needing to wear a mask. That’s rare, and I don’t take it for granted. The day started simply: a shower, a short walk in…
