Too cliché to mention, but at the start of the new year, we always have something in mind to improve on. This simply is all about New Year’s resolutions. Whether or not we have one, what’s important is that we are fully aware of how we need to improve ourselves regardless of the time of the year, giving importance to our mental health, productivity at work, and how to address problems and issues in our day to day living.
The level of conundrum we all face these past two years is insurmountable. And we had been confronted by a lot of lockdowns, quarantines, including self-isolations for those who had been exposed to COVID-19. Almost all of us experienced this, the sudden change of our normal way of life. These challenges vary from one person to the other, may it be concerning personal matters, working life, family or relationship issues. More so, financial issues that make us feel like we’re on a roller coaster ride.
In spite of all of these, what I learned is to maintain calmness while in the eye of the storm, to remain steadfast, at peace with myself, and let my mind and energy focus on things that matter, areas to spend my energy with, and to find resolutions of what is ahead of me. Some of us may feel mentally down, short circuited with problems, resulting in a more panicky mood. How then can we address the problem, if we had been “hostaged” by the moment? Maintaining calmness while in the midst of a turmoil is perhaps a skill that all of us have to develop, to maintain sanity and for us to function appropriately.
After all the experiences that I had been through, I realize that before I learned to be at peace with myself, it came to a point where I could not sleep at all, I could not eat, and function well, where I questioned my existence. But then, I forgot that I have a deeper and stronger faith and relationship with God. Through Him alone, I could manage to pick myself up, and entrust everything to Him. Simply, meditate, write down things to do, and kneel in prayer. This has been reflective of myself, where my ethos has always been, “Be at peace of myself, let go of worries, and prioritize inner strength through faith.”
Quoting Idil Ahmed, “Always say ‘my peace is important’, when you find yourself reacting to something that does not deserve your energy. Prioritize your inner wellness and cultivate an active mindset of peace by consciously deciding that you’ll elevate higher than any situation arises,” all I can say is truly, indeed, peace of mind is something that greatly matters, especially in times like this, where we are living in a not-so-normal “New Normal” way of life.