--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My sense of self has expanded and…" description: "\"“My sense of self has expanded and contracted like a schizophrenic accordion. I have questioned everything, and I have felt nothing. I have told the un..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/sera-j-beak-44940_grief_my-sense-of-self-has-expanded-and-contra_378934.jpg" --- # My sense of self has expanded and contracted like a… ![“My sense of self has expanded and contracted like a schizophrenic accordion. I have questioned everything, and I have felt nothing. I have told the universe to f**k off, and I have fallen down weeping at its compassionate response.” quote by Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/sera-j-beak-44940_grief_my-sense-of-self-has-expanded-and-contra_378934.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/sera-j-beak-44940_grief_my-sense-of-self-has-expanded-and-contra_378934.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/sera-j-beak-44940_grief_my-sense-of-self-has-expanded-and-contra_378934.jpg) > ““My sense of self has expanded and contracted like a schizophrenic accordion. I have questioned everything, and I have felt nothing. I have told the universe to f\*\*k off, and I have fallen down weeping at its compassionate response.”” [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a volatile self‑identity that swings between extreme openness and numbness, confronting existential emptiness and then feeling unexpected compassion from the universe. **In simple terms:** Self swings between emptiness and compassion. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and seek authentic feeling. Themes identity existentialism compassion mental health Mood conflicted hopeful Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - creative crisis - meditative practice - emotional breakdown - spiritual awakening Key Concepts psychology spirituality dialectical self Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance questioning with self‑care? - What does the universe’s compassion teach you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑dramatize mental illness, risking stigma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“I’ve been worried since I left the womb Like a schizophrenic on shrooms Like a hypochondriac on crack Never shy with the panic attacks;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-wetch/i-ve-been-worried-since-i-left-the-womb-like-a-schizophrenic-on/) [Justin Wetch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-wetch/) > [“When the night falls open Eclipsing the day The monologue Begins Recounting the moments that Could have Should have Been If only I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-alene/when-the-night-falls-open-eclipsing-the-day-the-monologue-begins/) [Catherine Alene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-alene/) > [The idea of stardom was difficult to grasp. It was like being schizophrenic; there was her, the woman on television, and the real me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-savitch/the-idea-of-stardom-was-difficult-to-grasp-it-was-like-being/) [Jessica Savitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-savitch/) > [I get readings, I sometimes get five a week. You'll feel like a schizophrenic by the end of that week. I don't know who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-holloway/i-get-readings-i-sometimes-get-five-a-week-you-ll-feel-like-a/) [Josh Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-holloway/) > [“like a schizophrenic with an MBA.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-suede/like-a-schizophrenic-with-an-mba/) [Damon Suede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-suede/) > [Ultimate Truth of Love Love Is What Can Be Felt Not Told It Can Be Given Not Sold It Comes When You Least Expect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose/ultimate-truth-of-love-love-is-what-can-be-felt-not-told-it-can-be/) [MOSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose/) > [Being vulnerable was difficult for me at first because I've said things in my songs about how I felt that I never told anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/being-vulnerable-was-difficult-for-me-at-first-because-i-ve-said/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [“If you asked me how I felt when they told me I would marry Wen Fu, I can say only this: It was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/if-you-asked-me-how-i-felt-when-they-told-me-i-would-marry-wen-fu-i/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“She died on March 22. 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Find who you are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/figure-out-who-you-are-separate-from-your-family-and-the-man-or-woman/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Keep your sense of self; don't get caught up in what people want you to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/keep-your-sense-of-self-don-t-get-caught-up-in-what-people-want-you/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) ## More by Sera J. Beak > [“I've had my past lives read, my aura tuned, my chakras aligned, my spirit guides channeled, my palms interpreted, and my kundalini awakened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/i-ve-had-my-past-lives-read-my-aura-tuned-my-chakras-aligned-my/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“Relish the paradox. Celebrate change. Trust your unique process. Igniting your divine spark is one of the most natural, yet brave, things you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/relish-the-paradox-celebrate-change-trust-your-unique-process/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“And I would rather be alive, be real, be increasingly conscious of all that I am, than move around this planet all mechanical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/and-i-would-rather-be-alive-be-real-be-increasingly-conscious-of-all/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“Your relationship with the divine should dance and sway, should at all times be dynamic and energized and fluid, constantly redefining itself as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/your-relationship-with-the-divine-should-dance-and-sway-should-at-all/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“The body never lies. It's your spiritual tuning fork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/the-body-never-lies-it-s-your-spiritual-tuning-fork/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“The work of a lifetime, the process of individuation, is widening of that spotlight so much that everything is illuminated and you are conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/the-work-of-a-lifetime-the-process-of-individuation-is-widening-of/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“How intensely do I want to exist?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/how-intensely-do-i-want-to-exist/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) > [“See, sexuality is less about the actual act of having pretty good sex for seventeen minutes twice a week and much more about surrounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sera-j-beak/see-sexuality-is-less-about-the-actual-act-of-having-pretty-good-sex/) [Sera J. Beak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) [Explore all 9 Sera J. Beak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sera-j-beak/) ## More Grief quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. 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Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My sense of self has expanded and contracted like a schizophrenic accordion. I have questioned everything, and I have felt nothing. 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