I came across a very hilarious meme recently, it reads;
“They say hard times pass, but this hard time doesn’t want to pass again”. And trust Twitter folks, this meme was accompanied with the perfect image for it.
Of course, when I saw it, I laughed out because it was really funny, and it was something I could relate to. In fact, I’m sure you can relate. Absolutely!
You know, with every phase of our lives, comes the darkest hours. These “darkest hours” are times filled with anxiety, burdens, pressure, amongst others, and as humans, we are prey to them.
I mean, they feed on our consciousness in order to gain existence and prominence, and they’d only cease to exist, depending on how well we are able to handle our emotions when reacting to them.
Be reliably apprised that this post wasn’t composed in a bid to overfeed you with what you’ve already gotten over the years. We’ve all had enough of the “Aspire to Perspire so that you don’t expire” kinda talks. So, I wouldn’t be replicating that here. We’d be going point blank in this post. Just like Deadshot, we hope not to miss our target 🎯.
So, we know how the elements of these darkest hours work (anxiety and the likes), how then do we go about battling them? Are we calling the Dothrakis, or the unyielding 300 Spartan warriors to stage a war against our darkest hours so that we can have a balanced lifestyle?
The sad answer to that is, NO!
They wouldn’t come down to help us prevail over them, but certainly, there are tips on how to go about it, thus, leaving you with a balanced lifestyle.
Follow through to learn these tips!
1. First, Identify the ‘bad belle’:
The first step towards relief when you’re choked is to identify the activities or factors that make you get choked up. So, your first actions should be geared towards identifying them.
Trust me, I wouldn’t give you BoBo without the straw. What am I driving at? I won’t tell you that Identifying them is easy OR that you have to look inwards to notice them; YINMU! It doesn’t come that easy.
That’s why when you ask someone with a similar issue to tell you the causes of their gloominess, they’d often times answer with “I don’t know jare” or “Nothing, I am just feeling somehow”.
The truth is that they have yet to fathom the ‘bad belle’ that is facilitating that gloomy atmosphere around them.
That said, to cut the long story short, you’d need to answer what I call the “WH questions” to identify the ‘bad belle’. These “WH questions” are questions like; “When? Where? What? and Who?” When do you usually feel choked up? Where does it often happen? What exactly happened? With whom did this happen? Who is the cause?
Answering these, you’d have an overall background to the causes of your darkest hours.
2. Filtering your activities:
One thing that gets us boxed up is the thought that we can do everything and anything. Yes, I know, that you are a champion, and that even through Christ that strengthens you, you can do everything.
Yes, you can do everything. But can your psychological state keep up with doing everything? Can your mental health gain stability with all the stress? (You should answer that)
Often times, we don’t choose to have so many responsibilities but due to some unavoidable circumstances, we get ourselves boxed up doing so many things so that people don’t think that we are incompetent or ineffective, so we want to get them done at all means.
What we don’t know is that too much of responsibilities result in exhaustion, stress, and by extension, frustration.
However, the second way to have a balanced lifestyle is filtering your activities.
What are the things you can do conveniently without stress?
Sort the most pressing ones from the less important tasks? Create a to-do list. It doesn’t make you uptight, it only sets the direction.
3. Don’t “learn” to say No. Say No:
It is not only to premature sex that you should say No. Nah! We should also say a big NO to things that we can’t do, to things that would throw us off balance. Often times, we harken to situations based on pressure and in our bid to please others. It shouldn’t be so. Say NO in the best humble way to things you can’t do. If you can do them without any hitch, you can say YES. But if you can’t, “Mai dear” don’t hesitate. If you happen to say “YES” in spite of your tight schedules and inconveniences, it will get to the point where pressure will be mounted on you for results. So to avoid stories that touch, simply say No.
4. Don’t kill yourself, schedule time for yourself:
You may be thinking that I’m asking you to condone laziness or to be less productive when chasing your dreams and aspirations.
No, that’s not it.
As humans, we are more susceptible and more vulnerable to reach our breaking points. So, why not prevent that?
Out of all your responsibilities, schedule a day or time for yourself. As much as you are intentional about your Career or Job, be intentional about your health too. Be intentional about sleeping, about working out, about having fun. Masturdate!!
You can take a One-day break from the hassles of your thoughts to see a Movie, listen to songs, talk to people, or do exercises. All these go a long way in maintaining a balanced life. Check around this blog for mini exercises you can do to keep you up and doing). You could as well try a new recipe or something you learnt online, you may even read a book. Just be intentional about it! It doesn’t have to sprout as a result of pressure.
The sad reality is that there would always be responsibilities, and there must be someone to do them. That person is probably you.
It’s a lifelong cycle that can only be broken until we give up the ghost (My dear friend, don’t kick the bucket).
The thing is even after retirement, there will always be something we need to do, which is a good thing.
The joy is that we have a say in how we spend our lifetime, what activities we participate in, and who we associate with.
Recognize the indications that your life is out of balance, and take measures to reclaim your sense of control and life balance today.
You can be the Hercules of the battle and can win, as long as you reclaim your sense of control and emotions.
Was this article helpful to you? Did you find it a fun read? Let me know in the comments!
