To those of you who've been regulars on my blog, you would have noticed my long hiatus. But if you're reading this now, you probably also noticed the come back! While I've had to neglect this space due to my crazy schedule, I've made a few lifestyle changes during that time and learnt a valuable thing or two.
Living in a city like Kuala Lumpur can be pretty awesome, there's always somewhere to go at any time of the day or night and always someone to meet. While i've spent many years of my life going out to new gigs, parties and events, meeting new people and catching up with all the amazing friends you make along the way, things can get pretty tiring. I was always on the go.
While this lifestyle has brought me so many beautiful experiences in life and have also helped me develop some of my best skills, experiences and even developed my strong emotional intelligence, I often found myself burnt out and longing for some alone time. It's something i've been struggling with for years.
I got my first real break when I moved to Perth in 2012. I lived alone on the beach, many of my friends lived way past the other side of town, the city's activities start closing at 5pm and I had to rely on public transportation to commute most of the time. What seemed like a depressing inconvenience during my first few days in Perth, turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
I was finally alone.
and for the first time in a long long time, I felt peace.
Coming from a girl whose life was moving constantly, I was of course afraid of the sudden halt.
But my sleeping patterns became regular, I wasn't struggling with fatigue, I was able to take time to watch the sun setting on the ocean almost everyday from either my balcony or on the beach. I had time to be with myself, catch up with the people who truly mattered and most of all, I had the opportunity to learn and do things that mattered to me.
I lived life in a state of meditation, which is how I actually started to meditate regularly, trying to bring myself back to being in that state of presence.
My fears of coming back to KL proved to be valid cause things simply slipped right back to how I was when I first left it. This time, I had a full time job and a full time social life and honest to god, I was exhausted. and I was tired of using "I don't have the time" as an excuse for all the things I couldn't accomplish.
In came to a point where I had to ask myself this - what would mean more to me in the long term?
Having a million acquaintances and blurred out memories of various fun outings I had on a daily?
or..
Being able to lead the lifestyle I want, like having time to make myself a healthy meal, exercise, meditate, read, write, watch movies and spending quality time with the people closest to me?
The answer rang pretty clear.
So while this online movement #100happydays is moving in full speed - I begin mine. It's been more than two weeks now. While I still have gone out to social events but i've also taken a significant time off to just hang out at home...wait for it - alone. Feels great.
While I understand that a lot of my friend's idea of happy days wouldn't consist of staying home to read, this fortunately is mine. I'm embracing it, folks.
So you're gonna see me have more time for creative release and that includes writing on this space and finishing more of my videos that i've been putting off. Feels really nice.
A couple of things I've observed after week 1:
1- Saying no is a conscious decision.
It's easy for me to respond to an invitation and ditch my book. But at the end of the night, the book would have probably made me feel more accomplished and productive. Being able to recognise that you have a choice is the first step. Exercising your right to choose allows for you to reclaim your personal power and take responsibility for what happens in your life. (this shit is addictive man)
2- Balance is GOLD
That time you invest in yourself is precious – Learning a new skill, working out and eating right, taking care of your mind and inner peace, exercising your creativity. While my social experiences have gave me immeasurable value, there must always be balance. #thingsyouhavetolearnoverandoveragain
3- Do away with social obligations.
Unless it's someone who is super close with you, they're not gonna notice whether you came out or not. Stop wasting your fucking time going for occasions you don't wanna go for just to be polite. Fuck being polite.
4- Your day feels amazingly longer when you're not running around all the time
It's no wonder I look back at my life and think - holy shit, is time going that fast or is my life going that fast? (I seriously couldn't tell) I used to sometimes think about how people live to be so old, because it felt like i've lived too many lifetimes in this one lifetime and I'm only in my twenties (that can not be right).
The minute I made the decision to spend my week with myself, I actually felt rested. The weekends that used to require another weekend to recover went away. I could spend one day doing my own things and it would have felt like I had a week of relaxation. (what have I been missing out on??!!!)
5- Not thinking all the time feels great
Winding down after working all day is important. My mind is constantly computing information and making decisions throughout the day, and then to head out after work and have to string sentences in social settings is tiring yo! Coming home to meditate and not think is god's gift to humankind.
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