Fighting the inner demons. On and off screen.

As one of the newer writers of this team, it’s very daunting and overwhelming to be staring at a blank screen not knowing what exactly to write about. Seeing other people create words from nothing so effortlessly and being able to keep a positive composure with different inner struggles and demons knocking at your door constantly. It’s a never ending battle that seems to have no end in sight.

As of late, I’ve been journaling things day by day and started to make lists of things I want to do and really examining what I’m doing with my time and where I’m going with my own life. These small daily tasks help me fight my daily dragons that appear in different forms. It’s not an easy battle to be fighting and waging war on, and it’s a very personal quest you embark on yourself, but there is a light at the end of the war torn tunnel. Knowing that there are others on a similar battle is something I try not to forget to tell myself. It’s something that takes time, and something that needs to be worked on with a process in mind. We try to be overly ambitious with our time and try to do things outside of what’s considered our limitations. We then punish ourselves for not meeting these goals and getting upset and wondering why we aren’t performing

Stepping away does not mean giving up.

I’ve had to step away from volunteer positions and change job positions to give myself a breather at times. It’s very exhausting to be facing a very high process task that requires a lot of emotional and physical energy. We owe it to ourselves to be mindful of ourselves and take care of our own needs. This might sound selfish to some people but this is highly important to how we are able to perform later on.

This also means setting up limitations on things that take up most of our time and switching to things that not only give us a break but also to be bringing more fun in our life.

Make time for family and friends

Earlier today one of our writers, Alex, had told me that his family was celebrating his grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary. It’s important not only to celebrate milestones but to have moments with each other. I know the increased duration of staying at home and spending more time with each other can be excessive, but it really means something more if you’re there in the moment and there with them. Not just physically, but giving your full attention to what they are doing.

Finding your sign post

This one is less obvious than the rest and harder to find. At it’s core it means that you need to not only be able to know where you’re going but who can take you there. It’s also a little bit about knowing who you are as a person. People can change over time like pants, but to truly know oneself at any given time is something of an extreme mystery to some. For some people it’s finding a mentor, others it’s knowing what your toolset is like and using it to your advantage, for other people it’s being that mentor for other people. Whatever it is, the only person that can find it, is yourself.

These three pillars along with a lot of practice, patience and skill building will give you a little bit more piece of mind. It’s a hectic world out there and we can all make it a little bit more enjoyable for each other.