The first thing I would like to thank is the pandemic. "Wait, what? Are you kidding me, Farah? Isn't it the worst thing you'd ever be thanked to? Why'd you say that?" Hmmm... Let me start this one.
Everything in this world is preordained. Nothing happens for no reason so would be the same as the current world problem issues. We know about something called The Law of Cause and Effect ( Hukum Sebab-Akibat). The existing law of cause and effect states are for every single effect there's a concrete cause, either for every cause, there's also a concrete effect.
Our thoughts, behaviors, and actions, will create particular effects that create our life as much as we know it. If we are not completely glad about the effects we have created, the causes definitely must be changed in the first place. Let's put it in these ways. I hope you understand what I exactly mean.
When we talk about this nowadays world conditions in every aspect include the economy, the education, as well as the social circumstance and sort of are completely messed up. Don't forget the causes itself. Everything happens for a reason. Seeing our entire earth or even the world itself is not as good as our thought. The world is not in the right place, something is wrong, we as humans sometimes or worse often forgetting to our actions giving bad effects for our earth and God obviously knows to do the right thing at the very soon meanwhile human doesn't realize it yet. So, here it is, let the hand of God manages it.
Why'd be thanked pandemic? Okay though there are two types of how people facing it, either be thanked or blamed. Basically, I am standing by the first choice-be thanked.
Because of Pandemic...
1. I either have more time and do the things I have never been done before.
Writing. It is having a blog and writing my article or speak my thought up. It always becomes the hardest one. However, I could force my shyness and make it truly happens.
2. Do self-care a lot.
Looking after our own self has something that not so many people would be gladly done. Despite it's a tall order to go manicure, seeing the doctor or going to a beauty clinic I can choose to stay at home and do them all at once. Seriously, there is a bunch of good information on YouTube too.
3. Keeping on the sunny side even at the bad ones.
I know somehow it sounds awful enough to be appreciated. A negative thought will bring a negative impact, rather than doing that, I keep suggesting myself which is things will be fine. Relaxing end-to-end, and my mind will figure it out sooner.
4. Let things flow.
Slowly but surely, let the things along the way it should be is a good decision. It's true, I often unwittingly insist on the will and forget what I must be able enjoy to. Whereas, there is a journey to be thankful for, for every road and sight that is worth to be remembered.
5. Find out my true happiness.
Okay, it sounds cliché. Realizing and encouraging what I already have is more difficult than imagining to have what I ain't having for, yet. Because a thing seems very interesting when we don't have them.
Whereas, now I know that happiness doesn't have to be about the material or have everything we dreamed about until we forget that true happiness is created, it is right behind us, and sometimes we have even had it tucked under our belt.
"Stop searching rather be realizing our true happiness."
6. Stop dreaming about later
Thinking about tomorrow, expecting about the future is always be fun that my thought accidentally does. In the end, we never know what kind of roadblock we are going to face up since the better is doing the exact time.
But from this, I become often reminding myself how easily death is after me on any freaking time.
Besides, we are often heard about how precious time is, how possibly things happen under the time, and so on. And it reminds me of a quote from Kung Fu Panda Movie.
"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, that's why we called it the present." said Master Oogway
7. Decrease for being a procrastinator
Being procrastinator adalah jalan ninjaku. haha. It was but also it is. We understand that procrastination seems more interesting than finishing up all our businesses in the first place because we barely can do other fun and interesting things freely like playing video games, watching Netflix, reading many books, or even taking care of our cat *meow*. The truth is our mind always links to this burden which is an incomplete task shouting for attention to be finished immediately.
Isn't it annoying? I know it is but I cannot stop for being this. Meanwhile, I can a little bit decrease it.
Instead of blaming myself, I better procrastinate for a reason. Let's call it "Procrastinate with purposes".
8. Always having a dozen plan from A-Z
As human beings, of course, we always imagining big things and expect nothing except good endings, making a dozen plans before doing something is never be a fault, it's a must. Nevertheless, Allah is always the best planner ever.
"And [Remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best planners."(Al-Anfal [8:30])
9. Learning to love loneliness.
It's crazy I never put it into the list on, but I start to do meditation. It increases the sense of calm, and probably take good control of emotion. To be honest, it's not as easy as my thought, at least I am doing my best. haha.
10. Making peace of being alone
We can think big even to stay in a limited space. Being alone is not as worse as you thought. Hey, look, because the only one who truly loves you is yourself, the first person who helps you the most is also yourself, and the strongest person who keeps staying to motivate and to stand beside your ups and downs is YOU. So, yeah, because we either are facing death on our own self and we even had been alone ever since the womb. LOL.
11. Dealing with my ambition
Ambition isn't something typically to be "dealt" with. It's driving force every great accomplishment. On the other hand, it's a constant voice begging me more to do.
A little step further, ambition eats at me, it feels like no matter how much I accomplish, feels like haven't done enough. I always want to do more and more. It looks like a never-ending battle.
A little step further, ambition eats at me, it feels like no matter how much I accomplish, feels like haven't done enough. I always want to do more and more. It looks like a never-ending battle.
And I hate it.
If it is a big part that describes who I am and what kind of mindset I have, still, on the way down I may be losing my motivation to be courage my ambition too.
Many days I have spent the rest of quarantine, I thought it most of the time.
What things I actually have been missing out?
I am not going to call it depression although it shares similarities. Basically, it is different. This feeling doesn't evoke a space of failure, it evokes fear of not living up to my deepest self-potential. The difference between both of them is elusive but brings drastically impact on.
Instead of getting rid of it, I am trying to deal with this.
Balancing my happiness and my ambition. Okay, I have read simple but meaningful quotes, it said that
"Too much ambition makes life miserable, too little makes it meaningless."
12. Eat healthful food.
Rest assured that even if I need to rely mostly on unhealthy or frozen foods as I remain at home. Straightforward after waking up from bed I always drink my 800ml bottle and after that, I do intermittent fasting until noon before eating some fruits and real food. It is so hard to stop munching, so I replace all the unwholesome snacks with fruits and vegetables. At least, it helpful.
13. Find ways to ease stress
In some ways like being active, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep all to help me to mitigate the effects of stress and anxiety on my body. Ahha, one more technique is positive thinking.
14. Having a healthy relationship with the internet
During a crisis, such news can have worse repercussions, compared to regular days. Trust the news from official sources only, I also do limit the time I spend on the internet during the period, particularly social media, I even turn down all the notifications on my phone. Obviously, I gain so much benefit from this.
15. Never lose to smile
This may feel like an odd advice now, to smile while terrible things are happening around the world. You may not feel like it but it will actually uplift your mood. Those around you will see you smiling and most likely respond with a smile back. I do it tho.
16. Guard my body and mind.
By always doing exercise to keep my body stay proper and healthy. Although I also do daily Yoga! I found that doing yoga could help to relax our mind and body. Besides, I have a better bedtime, and I do to stop worrying too much about unnecessary stuff. To increase my mind eagerness I become more grateful by a simple thing too. By reading a lot of books is also helps me through my leisure time becomes more useful.
17. Spread love and kindness surrounding.
I found a heart-warming quote from the internet, it said
"Even when you GIVE SOMETHING SMALL it's A LOT for someone else."
Do more appreciating myself and others within my circumstance. To be honest, I even got closer to those neighbors' kids since I have been taught them all for over 2 months. Thanks because of the pandemic I have more free time to teach them and slowly working on one of my dreams.
18. Learn about minimalist by stop being maximalist
Thanks to my friend who has suggested me to read a book by Fumio Sasaki, the title is "Goodbye, things on minimalist living". Since the start line, his writing completely amazes me that much. By stop being maximalist, pretending thing which is worth enough for our life and throw away those not so important stuff is should be done by me. By reason of a better life, learning how to be a minimalist would be tremendous consideration for me.
19. Experience to cook by making my new health recipe
I can create many delicious and nutritious meals at home for me and my family too.
20. Saving more money.
I never know what I am going through upcoming albeit my parents stand behind me, still, having urgent savings is worthwhile. I learn to put the priority in the first place over my ego.
21. Helping mom becomes a thing I love.
I'd rather do something for her although she often asking me about a small thing she could do it by herself. Instead of doing nothing, sleep all day long, I better be going to help mom so it will make me busier. My favorite thing when mom asked me to do is the laundry because I could spend much time at the rooftop, doing my meditation and yoga while uplifting my face to look into that beautiful sky. That's why I never skip my laundry.
