What Skiing In The Alps Has Taught Me About Feeling Truly Alive

I don't think I realized how disconnected I felt until I wasn't anymore. It did not happen all at once, or show as a dramatic moment. It was extremely subtle. A feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on at first, not until I really felt it with something I'm extremely passionate about; skiing.

I was standing at the top of the Alps, staring at the surrounding landscape that was so unreal it didn't even feel like I was there. Of course, I was there, but my brain was unbelievably shocked and purely overwhelmed, and it almost felt like an out-of-body experience.

For once, I wasn't thinking about anything else. Nothing. At. All. Just living in the moment. For a split second, I didn't care about what I had to do later or if I was making the right choices. Just experiencing this surreal feeling.

That's when it hit me: this is what it's supposed to feel like.

I believe that we get so used to living a little bit absent from our own lives at times that we just ignore (or don't notice) that we do it. Going through the motions, doing what we're supposed to, and keeping the ball rolling in our lives.

From the outside, everything might look fine. Internally, however, there's this constant background noise, a low level overthinking. A feeling of being there, just not entirely.

Skiing in the Alps was one of the first times I heard that noise completely disappear. It wasn't just quieter.

It was gone.

Not because everything was supposed to be perfect, but because it had to be. When you're skiing, especially somewhere in the Alps, distraction can be costly. It's advised that you don't check out, half focus or get in your head and expect things to go well.

Skiing comes with many risks, and injury is one of them. Injury can occur when any combination of the above is happening OR by pure accident.

So, you must commit to the turns, speed and the precise moment you're in. In doing so, you're subconsciously committing to yourself, too.

There's something special about that full body, mind & soul connection being experienced that changes how you might feel things. Everything becomes just a little more sharp. The cold air isn't just cold anymore; it wakes you up. The speed doesn't feel fast; it feels like freedom. Even the fear isn't something to avoid anymore; it's proof that you're actually experiencing something.

For once, you're not suppressing anything, distracting yourself, or trying to escape your thoughts.

You're. Just. Feeling.

Another thing I've noticed over the years is that I show up differently when I'm skiing (maybe it's the Alps in particular, but it could also be something else).

I'm generally more confident, open minded and far less concerned with how people see me. This version of me doesn't appear to be weighed down by the same things the version of me not out on the hill is.

That on its own has made me question a lot. If I can be that version of myself there, what on Earth is stopping me from being her anywhere else? This is something I have been working on in the past couple years, and it's still a work in progress but definitely improving.

I think we tend to associate feeling alive with the big, once in a lifetime kind of experiences. Skiing in the Alps could fall under this category, yes, but...I don't think it's the only reason. I think it is the way you can exist when you're there.

That version of you who is fully present, slightly uncomfortable, open to whatever happens, and not trying to force results; that's who creates the feeling of being truly alive as opposed to running on autopilot.

The mountains just assist in making it easier to access in my experience.

The hardest part is realizing how simple it is to slip back into autopilot when you return home. The overthinking, rushing, and being physically, but not mentally present. Suddenly, that feeling of being alive tries to run away. It's not gone this time, just a bit harder to reach.

Now that I have experienced this feeling, I definitely don't think I'll be able to forget it. I know what it's like to have everything go quiet for a second & be fully in the moment without trying to capture or improve it. That changes things. It makes you realize that feeling alive isn't necessarily reserved for certain places or experiences.

It's something you create by HOW you choose to show up for yourself.

Skiing in the Alps did not just give me a new favourite place. It raised my standards for everything:

How I want to feel, how intentional I want to be, and how much of my own life I actually want to experience instead of moving through it one foot in front of the other.

That being said, perhaps feeling alive isn't necessarily something you will find in places like the Alps like I did. Maybe it's something simpler that you unlock when you stop hesitating, overthinking, and finally ask yourself that thoughtful question:

Why not?