Gender:
FemaleLocation:
Washington stateOccupation:
RetiredAge:
64Member Since:
April 24, 2013Answers:
7093Last Update:
October 11, 2025Visitors:
127161Favorite Columnists
solidadvice4teens
Hollywood22
adviceman49
GiddyGeezer
Razhie
kittenlover2000
Grandfather
rosalee
missundersmock
teehigh
gr8fruit
more...
Main Categories:
Love Life
Families
General Sex Questions
View All
about
Life is an adventure but Life doesn't come with user manuals for everything. School subjects do little to prepare us. Its no wonder we all need helpful advice sometimes. Blessings to you!
advice
Since I was 17 I've once in a while felt the overwhelming urge, deep in my soul, to become a nun or to live some sort of quiet, monastic life, shielded from society with time to focus on spirituality in an inner sense.
The trouble is that these visions feel detached from who I am the rest of the time? Like, when they go away, then I just kind of feel like I have to focus on school and get on with my life.
I'd like to think the visions and feeling of longing goes away just because my circumstances are kind of shitty and my life isn't all that great yet. I'm wondering if I have to get my bearings in the normal real world first and kind of build up a sense of who I am, and then maybe if I'm able to make a really good life for myself, there will come a time when I can take monastic life seriously.
I really do believe in meditation, and a deep life of just prayer and inner commitment. I think, realistically, I could thrive in those environments. But I'm on a medication right now that I'm determined to get off of, and that's causing stress and taking up so much time, that it's like the spiritual side is waiting for a better opportunity.
Does anyone have experience with monastic life? Living as a monk or a nun? Would anyone recommend ways of maybe starting prep-work to make that more a reality like maybe 10 years in the future?
What you have said got me thinking about an inspirational talker I have subscribed to on Facebook, a Jay Shetty. Since you asked for someone with experience living monastic life, I thought of him. He spent 9 years as a monk but is now living a regular life. He focuses on retraining our minds. Says there are no classes one can take that teach how to think. So he wrote a book, 'how to think like a Monk'. You may benefit from reading that. You can find many videos, his face-book page or other articles on line by using his name. Then decide if you'd rather write to him or get the book first and see if that helps you. So, enjoy what you can learn from him and I doubt you will need to become a nun. You want to avoid becoming to reliant on the rituals of such a life because that is the doing/moving part of our existence, the physical part. Ritual isn't bad but causes people to lose focus on their thoughts and what can solve many peoples issues or make their life happier is retraining our minds. And that is what I try to do every day.
(Rating: 5) This was really helpful feedback and good, positive advice. Thanks!