To question existence is to question reality in some cases. For example, is what I’m experiencing real? Are my thoughts and what I perceive truly reality? I know, it’s quite confusing and even a bit distressing to ask these questions sometimes, but they are necessary if we wish to understand life itself.

So, what is reality? Well, Oxford Languages describes it as being, “The state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them,” or, “The state or quality of having existence or substance.” These definitions are basically saying that reality is the way things really are or the existence of something, but how can one ever truly know what does and does not exist?

I exist, or do I? You exist, or do you? Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), but what are thoughts really? It’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of questioning your very being down to your own thoughts, but the more you ask, the less you seem to know. It can be frustrating and send you into a downward spiral, like it has myself many, many times.

For this reason and to avoid completely losing my sanity, I have come up with one simple answer. Your reality is reality. How you view reality, how you interact with the world around you, how you see yourself and what you believe is real, is the truth of reality, because that is what you have made it. You, a conscious, thinking being have perceived the world and reality in your own unique way as a result of your own mind and your own individual experiences.

There is no easy way to make sense of reality, no easy answer that I or anyone else can give you, but I can say this. Your reality is what you make of it, so make it something worth experiencing, something truly and exclusively yours to live, and be proud of what you have lived and created.