In this period, I’ve asked myself innumerable times about why I do what I do, running a travel blog and being a full-time travel blogger. My answer, when I sought deep in myself, is that I want to inspire people to live well – both meaningfully and happily.
I want people to take action and go from being on the passenger seat of their lives to the driver seat, and start being proactive towards listening more to themselves. So many people these days drown themselves in the noise of society’s expectations that they aren’t even aware that they’ve lost touch with what they truly stand for anymore.
I actually think this period is good for me. As we get more and more caught up with staying on top, being competitive, going after a career, money, and progression, we’ve stopped listening to our own voice. We’ve stopped doing things that make us who we are.
Take me for instance. As a result of trying to get my articles competitive and on top of Google searches (as that’s my source of income), I’ve written more travel guides and spent less time sharing personal stories about myself. Let’s face it, who’s going to google your story anyway?
Now that no one is searching about destinations for their next holiday, I can finally hit pause on chasing what keywords everyone is searching for and dragging my ass trying to write articles that work well on Google, and instead, start sharing personal stories and writing about issues that I feel strongly for.
It’s also through this unprecedented pandemic that I feel there is an even more pressing need to “humanize” ourselves, to realize that we have to be there for one another because we are all in it together.
I’ve also begun reading more books about life improvement and having deep conversations with friends about the meaning of life. There were a few ideas that resonated with me that I think more of us to need to hear and pay attention to.
And so I’ve compiled a list of 5 difficult-but-pertinent truths below to share with you that we all need to hear and are difficult to apply, but are essential for us to all live a happier, more fulfilled and meaningful life.
1. Focus on what you have
Stop crying over what you have lost and start enjoying what you have gained. When we’re in our teens, we wished we can be someone else, be someplace else, do something else. When we’re in our forties, we miss the uncomplicated, carefree, energetic, responsibility-free days of our younger selves.
It’s time to stop wishing we were someone else. Instead of focusing on what we’re losing out, focus on what we’re gaining. Embrace the wisdom, experience, insight, opportunities that you’ve taken, adventures you’ve experienced.
DO THIS:
Don’t live in denial about your current predicament or try to fight your present moment with short-term distractions that give you the illusion of escape (i.e. video games, TV dramas, work).
Remember that you can never live the same version of yourself that you are now, so make full use of what you have at the present moment. Focus on your achievements and what you have today. Be content with what you have been through because it moulded you to become who you are today – the stronger, more resilient, more courageous, more independent you compared to your younger, more inexperienced self.
2. Be thankful
Research shows that being grateful is good for your health. It improves the quality of your sleep, your moods and leads to better heart health. You also have a more optimistic outlook in life and are happier as a result of having a more thankful disposition.
It’s easy to lament about life rather than be thankful for it. We can sometimes lose sight of the big picture and wallow in faults and inconveniences. We have become too caught up in our lives to stand back and be thankful for what we have. Not to mention the Internet that has led us to build unreasonable expectations of life and what you should be doing or achieving, rather than celebrating what you already have.
Little by little, you can introduce gratitude in your life. Before you criticize, try to be grateful about the situation you’re in.
DO THIS:
Have a gratitude journal where each day, you’ll write 3-5 things you’re grateful for. Try to go beyond the weather, food or a roof above your head and think deeper. If you’re thankful for someone, let them know that you are. There’s nothing more empowering than being appreciated.
3. Focus on things you can control
And stop worrying about what you can’t. It’s a total waste of your energy complaining about things you can’t change, energy that can otherwise be funnelled into more productive avenues, into things that you can influence.
What have you recently complained about? The weather? Your colleagues? The environment?
Do you find yourself blaming external circumstances for a result you’re not happy with? Think about what the point of channelling all that negative energy to someone or something else and letting it fester. Is that something that can make the world a better place, or put you in a better place?
DO THIS:
Be realistic about what you cannot control and focus your attention on what you can. You have everything you need to make a change; you just have to start with yourself – a shift in your thoughts, emotions, reactions, mindset, beliefs.
Start noting down your behaviours and taking an active step towards shifting your point of view.
4. Notice your environment
Is your environment polluted? Polluted environments are bad for your health, cause stress and make you unhappy.
It could be working in an office with no natural light or fresh air, sleeping in a room with the constant noise of a railway or highway traffic or having to tune out smoke or the smelly canal. Conversely, have you ever felt the effects of being in nature and away from crowds and the traffic? How it soothes, relaxes and calms you?
It’s not just about your environment. It could also be the people you surround yourself with.
Are they complainers and moaners? Do they never seem content with life? Are they constantly harried?
It’s these little environmental effects that affect our health and stress that we sometimes overlook or think we have to endure. But the truth is, we don’t.
DO THIS:
Learn to spot and recognize signs of your environment affecting your happiness and wellness.
Change what you can and accept what you cannot.
It could be getting an air purifier, investing in a heater, buying some house plants or decluttering. Take active steps to get away from negativity, and surround yourself with what makes you light-hearted instead.
5. Get more quality sleep
Sleep isn’t overrated. Sleep deprivation causes you to lose sharpness, concentration, patience increases stress levels and weakens the immune system. The list goes on.
Don’t think that sleeping in on weekends will help you catch up on sleep either. In fact, the Monday blues is your body struggling to cope with the “jet lag” – your body is struggling to get used to a different sleeping pattern after a weekend of sleeping in.
DO THIS:
Switch to a blue light filter on your screens.
The next time you go to bed, switch off all electronic devices an hour before bedtime. Use that hour before bed to do something relaxing, like reading a book, listening to music, gazing into the sky or doing some stretching exercises.
Aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep. When asleep, make sure your phone will not disrupt you, and that light and traffic noise are kept to a minimum.
In the morning, give yourself time to wake up and prepare for the day by setting your alarm a few minutes earlier. Nothing sets the tone more wrongly than having to stress about being late for work.
I hope you don’t just treat this as another article you read and forget, but actually take steps to work on yourself and invest in yourself, because at the end of the day, you are all that you’ve got!
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All images courtesy of the author.