Alessandra Boeri
Photographer, Video Editor

A Conversation with my Demons

A Conversation with my Demons is an illustration on facing, identifying, observing and befriending your inner demons. 
We all face demons at some point in our lives. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. It makes us human. 
Demons come in many forms. Some can be obnoxious, or in the form of bitterness, while others can be vicious and destructive causing a very negative force. They can try to convince you that you're lazy, unlovable, incapable and so much more.They want to become the host of our bodies and mind and be the driver of our lives. Some people live almost entirely through their demons. Others may experience it in situations that resulted in pain, relationships, or ones linked with abandonment. No matter how much you try to distract yourself from your demon – and this can come in the form of addiction, alcohol, overworking, overachieving, and many other distractions - the demon won't be satisfied. The more we try to run and hide from our demons, the more they will stay bottled up inside and show up again, larger and larger each time. 
One of the demons I struggle with is my anxiety demons. That voice inside myself telling me I'm incapable. Whenever my anxiety demons came in, I would try to fight them. I would enter that vicious cycle of “I can't focus, I can't do anything, I won't be able to reach my full potential and pursue my passions.” My demons try to convince me I just can't do it because of my struggle to stay focused. But there was a day, I stopped completely. I felt the awareness and said to myself, “this isn't me. I know my worth. I know what I can do.” Instead of letting the demon make me feel completely useless, I listened to the demon and I was able to identify it wasn't me. Instead of getting angry at the demon for coming back, I decided to befriend it. The conversation inside my head went a little something like this: “Hello demons. I understand you want to feed off this anxiety I am feeling. But please take a seat. I won't push you away. Yes, I can't focus sometimes. I can't always do what I want to do. But that’s okay. I’m allowed to rest and try again. I am doing my best. That doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. I know you mean no harm..” My demons then went away. 
Befriending your demon doesn't mean agreeing with the demon or indulge in what they say. It means respecting them even if you don't agree with them, just like everyone should respect each other. Your demons get a seat too. If you're nice to your demons, in time, they will be nice to you too. 
1) Identify your demon. 
2) Observe the demon and separate yourself from it and realize it is not you. 
3) Bring your awareness back to yourself and stay present. 
When you choose to befriend your demons you have entered a new awareness. You are saying yes to living truthfully and committing to living in the most present life. To being fully alive into the beautiful person you are. You've then entered a higher dimension of accepting yourself, forgiving yourself and loving yourself. We really can't appreciate the light without darkness. 
We are not our demons. We are much more than that.

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