What is Your Story?

We live in novels that have been created just for us. Worlds woven by words that we circle as though we are the Earth and they, the sun. Stories we tell ourselves become who we are, and suddenly, we’re orbiting time and space like we’re following a script. I see it happening to everyone around me. Manifested by our own perceptions, and fueled by our experiences and the opinions of others, an idea is nurtured until it demands to be fed. All thoughts have the potential to grow toxic, but insecurities are born hungry. When I was fourteen, my mother told me that my face was looking fuller, that I had put on some weight and was at last, ‘filling out’. To some, this would’ve been welcomed news – the thought of finally morphing into a soft, curvy woman like the ones we looked up to – but to me, this was the worst thing I could’ve heard at the time. Cue frantic googling of face exercises and hours of analysing the roundness of my cheeks, trying to determine if my fish lips and eyebrow lifts were doing anything to shed the barely-there puppy fat I had become hellbent on destroying. This was the first physical insecurity of many, and the beginning of my understanding that something small and seemingly insignificant can grow to become the whole world. It’s easy to get stuck in a loop; to feel and breathe and live the the repetitive motion simply because it’s familiar. It becomes your story. One you can read backwards or with your eyes closed. It’s the story you tell others, but more importantly, it’s the one you tell yourself. It shapes, motivates and guides you, but does not define you. Living within the novel that has been written for you doesn’t mean that you become someone else when you turn the page. You are more than the the words you tell yourself. If you’re unhappy about something that is within your control, don’t let past experiences be the reason why you cannot change. Don’t let people’s expectations of you hold you back from becoming the person you want to be. Stop living life according to a script that, when you’re taking your final breaths, means nothing. Write the story that you want to read because that would be one hell of a book.

-S

Expiry Date

“One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.”

There is no quote that terrifies me more than this one. What’s worse than waking up one day and realising that your entire life has passed you by, seemingly in the blink of an eye? Quickly and quietly, perception catches you off guard and pulls the rug out from underneath you, leaving you scrambling to make something of yourself. To find purpose and fulfillment in this otherwise stale existence. Growing old is inevitable, and it’s one of, if not my biggest fear. I don’t want to age, not because I’m afraid of wrinkles and grey hair, but because these changes remind me that I have an expiry date. Perhaps, because I’m still young and have barely scratched the surface of what will become my life, I don’t understand the natural progression and ultimately, surrendering one must feel when they’ve reached the end of their tether. I’ve seen it in the eyes of the elderly who used to reside in the nursing home my sister once worked at. A look of acceptance, of exhaustion, and of peace. A life filled with joy, love, pain and grief, of moments that make us feel like we’re flying, and others when we struggle to catch our breaths. After decades of experiences, of milestones, hardships and accomplishments, there must come a time when someone decides they’ve had enough. For some, this moment comes much earlier in the timeline of their existence, either through the hands of the universe, or their very own. Others try to fight time and cling onto the appearance of someone they once were, continuously altering their bodies in the pursuit of eternal youth. We’re all walking the same path, and inevitably, we will all reach the end. We won’t all stumble across the same rocks or divots in the earth, and where some of us see as a path lined with flowers, others see only weeds. The lives we live are fleeting, and whilst we should accept the fact that we live within the constraints of time, we shouldn’t let that define the choices we make or the emotions we let consume us. Sometimes I feel like little more than a fearful child shoved into the body of someone who’s supposed to have everything figured out, but I don’t think anyone actually does. Contemplate the future and accept the past, but live in the present and take comfort in knowing that no one really knows what to do with this gift we call life.

-S

It’s Okay to Feel Sad

If we never felt sadness, we wouldn’t ever appreciate what it feels like to be truly happy. With nothing to compare and contrast against the positive emotions, happiness becomes a constant state of being, synonymous with what it means to be human. Our lives would become dull. Yet, despite me being able to recognise the important role sadness plays in my life, I still struggle to accept when I feel anything other than content. I don’t allow myself to be sad as often as I should, because I don’t feel like I deserve to be sad. For the most part, I live a wonderful life. I’m surrounded by incredible, supportive and understanding people; I have a roof over my head, food in my belly and a bedroom filled with art supplies and books. I have so much, whereas others have so little, and so I tell myself that because others have it much worse, I’m supposed to be happy. But it’s okay to feel sad. Life isn’t a straight line that we follow until we reach the end of our road; no, life is an obstacle course that we’re thrown into blindfolded with no clue how to navigate our way through it. Even the most privileged of people will struggle at times, and that’s okay. Every single one of us will experience moments of both extreme joy and pain throughout our lifetimes, regardless of what kind of childhood we had or how much money we make. If a child breaks their arm, we don’t tell them to suck it up and stop crying because others are dying of cancer. We love and support them, and do our best to ease their pain. Sadness can’t be fixed with a bandage because sometimes it demands to be felt.

“Everybody wants happiness, nobody wants pain, but you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.”

-S

 

 

10 Reasons Why You Should Go Outside

1. Negative Ions. The air outside is filled with negative ions, which have been scientifically proven to reduce stress and increase serotonin – aka, the happy chemical! The ratio of these ions is highest around moving water and during storms, with waterfalls said to be the most effective.
2. Mental Clarity. Have you ever experienced that feeling where your brain is encased in a thick fog that impedes your ability to think straight? Spending time outdoors can give you the mental boost you need to re-focus your mind, resulting in better productivity and performance.
3. Vitamin D. You’ve been told by your mother, and your doctor, but vitamin D really is as important as they say it is. We all know by now that life can give you cancer, but did you know that low levels of vitamin D can lower your mood, make you more susceptible to infections and cause general aches and pains? So slap on some sunscreen and go for a walk!
4. Animals Are Cool. There’s a reason why cat videos are some of the most popular videos on the internet. Animals are fascinating creatures, and watching them do amusing and sometimes bizarre things in their natural environments is enough to brighten anyone’s day.
5. Better Sleep. Natural light is essential for your body to maintain a regular sleep cycle with its regulation of melatonin, which signals when it’s time for bed. If you’re like me and stay up until ridiculous hours of the morning regardless of what your body tells you, well then… NIGHT OWLS UNITE! In all seriousness though, if you have trouble sleeping, make sure to turn off all lights when readying yourself for sleep (including the light emitted from screens!), and make sure to spend a couple of minutes in the sun when you first wake up.
6. Nature Is Healing. People who spend more time in nature heal faster than those who don’t. As little as 20 minutes a day spent outside can speed up your body’s recovery time when you’re feeling under the weather.
7. Being Inside Is Boring. Buildings are consistent, and therefore boring. The lighting, temperature and surroundings are regulated and stay relatively the same unless we decide to make changes. Nature is unpredictable and no two trees or sunsets will ever be the same.
8. A Chemical World. Man-made objects and constructed environments are filled with all kinds of nasty chemicals that can mimic hormones, attack our immune systems and cause a host of other negative responses in our bodies. Whilst we can never completely rid ourselves of these pollutants, there are far less of them outdoors.
9. The Elements Are Amazing. If you’re in a bad mood, I guarantee walking outside and feeling the wind blow through your hair or rain falling against your skin is bound to put a smile on your face.
10. Nature Is Beautiful! If you have eyes, this doesn’t need explaining. Now go and increase those negative ions!

 

-S

Consumed

Consumed,
They forget to look outside,
To lift their eyes and appreciate
The world beyond their minds
Hollow souls slowly wasting,
Hungry for endless validation
An existence shaped by numbers,
They breathe a faceless world
Held within an emphatic vice
Of likes, tweets and followers,
They satiate their appetites
But still, emptiness persists,
And darkness consumes them

-S