Hello there,
How was your 2021 so far? We must have had that long list of wishes back on new years' eve. Have you checked a few on that list? Well, it's alright if you haven't checked anything yet. The right time will come, let's put more faith in everything we do. Slowly, but sure.
Honestly, I started this year full of doubts. I had so many plans last year, but then the pandemic hit us, and we barely can do anything about it. Although I genuinely celebrated all things that happened in 2020 -- especially here in my last writing. But, what actually didn't make it to my blog post and Instagram stories, was actually the desperate praying, waiting, and deciding.
It's not that I wasn't being honest, but I always have this same issue whenever I want to share my writings with you. Is it too personal? Does it sound unnatural? Is this too much?
Juggling all of that questions, I finally come to a decision that I will learn to stop worrying about those things. Through this post, I'd like to share my thoughts about slowing down, in this fast-paced world. Well, if you'd let me.
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It is not surprising at all, that we live in this high-demanding, fast-moving world. We always feel like we are running out of time, time is unreal and never enough, and the world keeps on moving no matter what, but we feel like we are too slow.
That would probably be the reason why people are ambitious but also anxious. We feel insecure, yet it makes us competitive. We are eager to get acknowledgment, not self-appreciation.
If you have been feeling you are slower than this universe, believe me, you are not. Instead, taking a step back and slowing down for a little bit is good for your mental health. Well, it's not that I urge you to be lazy, but slowing down to see the world is moving around you, makes you appreciate things better.
While trying to accept and appreciate more things, I am anchored by these three things I know to be true. It's not that I already experienced these things, nor that I have learned them. But I hope it would bring comfort to all of us, to help us get through the hustle.
- You are not too slow, you are just at the right pace.
Social media these days makes it harder for us to get real with anything. It seems like everybody is in a rush, and of course, looks like people already achieved their life goals, while you are feeling left behind. This is probably will be a never-ending issue of our generation: being easily anxious. Well honestly, the more I write this down, the more it sounds cliché because it is always easier to be said than done. Although we all know, that people only posted good things only on social media (because all of us do), sometimes we still need to remind ourselves. And, it is perfectly okay.
Keep in mind that everyone has their own time to shine, including you, no matter in what stage of life you are right now. Focus on your goals, aim high on your dreams, there is nothing called 'too late' in life. People are not in a rush and this life is not a competition. Just keep going, and if one day you feel too tired, take a little break. Maybe you need to hear these words today, so I'll stress this again for you: you are exactly on the right pace.
2. Take a rest for a little while, and recharge.
There's nothing wrong in wanting more, but there's also nothing wrong with wanting less. Well, that's a sentence I wish I could say to myself more often since I tend to feel guilty whenever I'm trying to slow down. I'm not a workaholic, but there's this strange feeling of happiness whenever I get my work done, fast and right. I feel rewarded when I accomplished that moment.
But the thing is, our job at work will never be done. We will always have something to work for, and also a demanding boss - if you have one. So, in my point of view, it's alright to take a rest for a while. Our lives should not only revolve around work, there's so much more to it. Take a break, then you will recharge.
3. Take a deep breath -- the world is actually pretty.
Honestly, our daily hustle makes it almost impossible for us to stop for a while, just to appreciate things around us. Especially for people who live in the city, hustling while commuting is everyday life. Or, maybe that's how it was until the pandemic hit.
Although I'm thankful that we finally came to a silver lining phase, let's be honest, adjusting to the new normal will be a whole new challenge for the world. But since it has been a year since we live with Corona, I started to see things differently, in a more positive way now.
Because I rarely go out of the house, I become very fascinated with what I see every time I go out.
"Is the sky always this beautiful?"
"Was this the highway they made a year ago? It's more than halfway done now."
"Was this the park that people always talk about on social media?"
I mean, I don't know if there are literally any changes in the city, but I found commuting to work or wherever is so much more interesting. Of course, you may see things that will also annoy you (like those people who don't wear masks at all), but if you try to see it closely, the world is actually pretty. Something that I wouldn't realize a year ago before the pandemic and before we all started to slow down.
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As I'm writing this, I realize that currently, I'm not in a state where I can slow down at all. Instead, I just got severe burnout for the past few weeks because of the things that I have to do, but I couldn't manage to get them done. But sitting here today, writing this to you and to myself, I wish this could be healing for each of us who needs it.
I'm no fan of being unproductive and uncertain either. But I learn that being busy doesn't have the same meaning as being productive. And when you decide to rest from your chaotic mind, that's also a way of appreciating yourself more.
Again, I'm not advising everyone to be slow and unproductive, rather, I advise all of us to embrace this time of uncertainty with open hands. Be vulnerable. Be less afraid. Have joy. As we are all facing upward to the new world, I'm sure that we all can normalize slowing down as a part of rest. And it is perfectly fine.
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