41 Signs You Are Sleepwalking Through Life

Do you feel like you're sleepwalking through life? Like you are living in a dream? Going through the motions? I know I have before, and it led me to a spiritual awakening. I'll explain.

Sleepwalking through life means you are going about your day unconsciously. Meaning you're on autopilot or zombie mode and you mistake it for how life is supposed to be. You're not aware of who you are or how you fit into the big picture of life. You don't know what your purpose is. You're likely just reacting to life instead of creating the life you want.

You may have had moments of realization and awakening, but found yourself lost in the daily grind. Here are signs you are sleepwalking through life. At the end of this list I will share with you some tips on how to wake up and stay awake.

Signs you are Sleepwalking Through Life

1. You spend your day reacting
2. You're "putting out fires" all day
3. You don't have time to do what you want
4. You can't seem to find quiet time to breathe
5. Your wake up, go to work, eat dinner, watch tv, go to bed
6. You are ignorant or apathetic about bigger issues in the world
7. You eat without thinking about what you are eating
8. You treat your body like shit
9. You don't make time for you
10. Your thoughts about other people are often judgmental
11. You feel hopeless and disempowered
12. You don't feel in control of your own life
13. You believe in the American Dream
14. Your natural state is anxiety, fear, and worry
15. You get your adventure and thrills through television
16. You spend more time conversing about TV shows and sports than real life
17. You look at celebrities and athletes as your role model for success
18. You haven't read a book in at least a year
19. Your internet usage mostly consists of Facebook, Weather, and News
20. Your emotional state is tied to the success of your local sports teams
21. You lack a clear direction in life
22. Your goals are mostly financial and material
23. Your goals are "someday" type goals that never actually get accomplished
24. You think it's a waste of time thinking about the big picture of life
25. You feel that stress and unease are just normal parts of everyday life
26. You believe that just working harder is the key to success
27. You believe that authority figures decide your fate, not you
28. You repeat the same patterns of activities every day without awareness
29. You depend on caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs to cope with your pain
30. You habitually look to buy a products to solve your problems
31. You shop because it makes you feel better
32. You frequently gripe or complain about other people or circumstances
33. You do things because you "should" not because you want to
34. You tend to be busy but not productive
35. You hate getting out of bed in the morning because it's another dreadful day
36. You have more opinions about pop culture than world issues
37. You worry about falling behind with fashion trends
38. You are mostly unaware of how your thoughts and emotions affect your life
39. You feel uncomfortable being alone with your own thoughts
40. You endlessly scroll through Facebook or social media without awareness
41. You are convinced that sometime in the future you'll be happy

How do you wake up?

Chances are you have noticed yourself behaving or feeling like one of the above signs. The fact that you just became aware of it is a mini awakening. But before you get distracted and onto the next task, savor the moment of being aware.

That's it. That's all there is.

The process of awakening is mostly about being aware and conscious more times than not during the day. You'll often oscillate between states of awareness. Sometimes you'll be fully present, other times vaguely aware, and sometimes completely mindless and lost. That's ok. If you're taking notice of it, you are waking up.

You are part of a mass awakening that is happening on the planet. We are evolving into our next stage as humans. Beyond the trappings of mind and into a more conscious state of being.

There are two types of awakening. Internal and external.

Internal awakening is a realization of who you are. Realizing you are not your Twitter bio, your work, your mind, or your body. You are so much more than that. Eckhart Tolle's books The Power of Now and A New Earth are wonderful resources for newly awakened souls.

External awakening is a realization of what's really going on in the world. It's often a pulling back of the veil of what you think you have known to be real. Mark Passio has a great lecture online about this. You realize the media is a brainwashing tool. You realize you are just a hamster in a wheel. An example of an external awakening is the decision to stop eating meat because you realize where it comes from and how it's made. A further example could be realizing who runs the media or controls the money in the world. Suddenly your todo list at work feels a little less important in the grand scheme of things!

Tips to Stay Awake

Meditate daily. Spend at least 5 minutes every morning in silence and quiet stillness. Do this often throughout the day to let your thoughts subside and get back to your natural state.

Let your curiosity guide you. Once you wake up, you'll probably have aha moments and sudden realizations. You'll suddenly have a thirst for knowledge. Follow it and see where it goes. You can read about my process of waking up.

Be present. Be mindful. I recommend the book Mindfulness in Plain English.

Once you wake up. It's impossible to fully go back to sleep.