When I find myself stuck or lost or paralyzed it's usually because I start questioning and doubting myself, which leads to questioning and doubting my intentions and my progress and my existence, and yes, it's a bit dramatic, which is why I need to sedate myself by way of brain-dumping my feelings onto a piece of paper, better known as journaling. This is how it usually goes: I write out my feelings, including anything and everything that's bothering and wounding me. I ask myself why I'm feeling this way and I try to be as brutally honest with myself as I can. I then ask myself if what I'm worrying about is something I can change. If it is, I ask how can I change and improve and do better? If I can't, I acknowledge the worry, thank it for helping me grow, and ask myself to gracefully let it go. There's just something about writing out my thoughts and putting it on paper. It helps me sort through my thoughts, and I see things so much more clearly for what they are.
It's also a great way for me to reflect and to look inward to see where I'm falling short and how I can do better moving forward. Looking back at older entries written by Young Roe, AKA, young Rowena, helps a lot too. It gives me a lot of perspective, laughs for days, and reminds me of how far I've come. Next is one of those things that I know is really good for me, but I'm still not consistent with it on a daily basis. Which is something I hope to change.
I've been waking up early for a few months now to meditate before work because we can all use a little more 'woo sa' in our lives and I like how it sets the tone for the rest of my day. So, on the days I decide to snooze for two hours and sleep in I definitely don't feel as calm, composed and self-aware as I could be. Meditation to me is watching my thoughts, calming my mind, and carving out time for me to reconnect with myself. The form of meditation I do is part of my spiritual practice Falun Dafa Where I sit in full lotus for an hour while listening to this beautiful traditional melody.
My mind should be empty and tranquil and I shouldn't be thinking about anything. But even after two years this is something that I'm still working towards I'd say for a day where I feel super peaceful and grounded there are at least four days where there's a tsunami swirling inside my head. But as with all things we do consistently, I do find the more I practice, the easier and more natural it becomes. Baby steps, right? If sitting for an hour isn't your jam, there are so many different types of meditation and ways of meditating to look into. Like the app Headspace or even simple breathing exercises that I'll link down below. Now that it's sorted out my feelings, it's time to start reincorporating some R&R and pampering back into my life. When the going gets rough and I get overwhelmed and busy the first thing to go out the window is usually self-care which results in me looking like a barefaced little dude with my hair in a bun 24/7. It's the simple pleasures in life like washing my hair, doing my hair tossing a bath bomb in the tub, using a clay mask followed by a sheet mask, doing my nails for once instead of cutting it super short.
Taking care of yourself and your appearance is like taking care of your space. It is a reflection of your inner state and a form of self-respect. Because it is so easy to get caught up in the busy trap, overwork ourselves, and spread ourselves too thin, It is so important to be kind and compassionate to ourselves and to do more of what makes us happy. Work, YouTube and my spiritual practice have been priority and the three pretty much consume my life, leaving little room for anything else. And Naturally, I burnt out. So here's to balance and doing more of what keeps me sane and happy. I love reading business books and autobiographies of entrepreneurs and the world's most brilliant minds.
Reading about their stories, their journeys filled with success and failure and laughter and tears and happiness and joy and depression and darkest of times. It reminds me that we're all human and with enough hard work, faith, and perseverance anything can happen. When I'm in need of a good laugh and a warm fuzzy hug, Crazy Stupid Love, Friends, and watching my childhood favorites always puts me in a good mood. Other than books and movies, I like to make more art and bake more and other than being a homebody I would love to do more explorations of this beautiful city that I call home. The whole premise of this is to know what makes you happy, and to just do more of it. Anything that lights up your soul and makes you feel alive, do that.
Go do it. Do it. Why not? Do it. And finally the last one is a short one but a powerful one. Smile more! I tend to go through my days with the resting face and let's just say my natural resting face isn't the happiest looking face. Studies have shown that faking a smile can actually improve your mood, especially when you're stressed and in a bad mood.
It's from muscle memory playing tricks on your brain, and realizing how silly you look trying to force a smile. Because let's be real, whatever it is that's stressing you and I out, and that's so incredibly overwhelming, It's actually not that big of a deal once we step out of our heads. Everything will always be okay, and everything that happens in life is to either test or to help us become our best selves. There's a Chinese saying that goes "退一步海阔天空" - which translates to: "Once you take a step back, you'll find that the seas and the sky is boundless." And with that, thank you so much for listening. I would love to hear how you take care of yourself.
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