Invasion of Mental Space Nowadays

"Don't intrude into my personal space", "respect my boundaries" or simply "I miss having my personal space" are phrases we often hear these days.

Today's hyperactive and attention-demanding world is worsening our burnout. The daily grind of life (work, home, relationships) gets us down. Zooming out and looking at the big picture gets difficult. The tough thing is, when you're in a state of mental fog, your responsibilities, tasks, and deadlines don't go away. You've still got to attend to all these things even though you might not be in the perfect frame of mind to do it or get it done.

Therefore, we all need to make a time and place that offers us mental space. To put it simply, I would say, time off alone with our thoughts without being interrupted. Now that space can be your car as you drive home after work, a reading or meditation corner in your house, your garden, your bathtub, your gym, or a nearby park where you walk or any other place. The reflection you do in this space helps you rise above the daily whirlwind of life to gain valuable perspective and set your goals more clearly. In addition, it helps unclutter your mind and boosts your ability to function better in your everyday roles as individuals.

Hence, creating space to be alone at periodic gaps is important. Mental space is necessary to function healthily and to reach your full potential. Always have the courage to say No to those around you, who you feel might be taking up too much of your mental space and energy. Do not allow anyone to invade your personal space nor become a personal space invader for someone else.

Emotion Tracking

In modern times, we are occupied keeping an eye on our own performance at work or measuring the performance of our customers, business partners, and suppliers. But how many of us are actually tracking how we feel each day?

Do you maintain an emotion catalog of yours? If not every day, at least once in a while? I guess a very handful of us do. In the current times of turbulent economic climate, and continued uncertainty about life, tracking our emotional well-being is a must. We are exhibiting mounting signs of clinical anxiety and depression. Researchers worldwide are exploring innovative solutions to help people monitor and regulate their emotions.

Emotions are part of our everyday lives. They tell us something about ourselves. They are neither good nor bad and are simply reactions to our situations. Some people may spend years, or even a lifetime, not understanding the depths of their emotions. It can often be hard to open up. We continually assess the value of our disclosure. 

Hence journaling our emotions can be a great way to track and understand them more clearly. Writing them down releases our pent-up negative emotions. The mind calms down and reboots. When we start tracking our feelings, we are more self-aware. Over a period of time, it gives us a record of our development. It opens our minds to unexplored possibilities which we simply can’t notice when we are overwhelmed and fretting. Just logging in to our emotions provides a deep sense of fulfillment and helps us execute our goals.

I would say tracking our emotions transforms our lives. I vouch for it because I have seen the transformation in my life since the time, I started keeping a record of how I feel. I view my writing time as a personal time when I can de-stress and unwind from all the daily chaos. Keeping a check on my emotions has helped me build a deeper connection with myself and my mental well-being.

Are you now ready to take a deep dive into your emotions and channel them into a meaningful pursuit of actionable?

 

 

Why I love what I do for my living?

Are you wondering why I love what I do? 

I have been an Advertising & Marketing Communication professional for over 15 years. And I love doing what I do. It makes me feel happy & satisfied in spite of the fact that I have an emotionally demanding role at work.

I never fully lose sight of the challenges and the sense of purpose that drives me; I fight my way back towards it no matter how ugly things get at work because it's that very thing that gets me up in the morning. I feel like an energized kid with a seasoned perspective of an adult every day.

My job has both - positives and negatives. The crucial thing is, that I don’t get choked on my downs and I don’t get too high on the ups. I try and maintain a balance. I always get back to what allows me to fuel my passions along with my work. I like to be in the “now” because it can disappear in a heartbeat. Loving what I do—no matter how competitive I have to be to attain my goals—I do not step on others to get there. 

Enjoying the work that I do have always been more fulfilling and productive for me than earning a fat salary or a flashy title. I have learned and unlearned a lot of things in order to discover something new and creative each time. This process has always driven me all through.

As aptly said by Jon Stewart - “I want to look back on my career and be proud of the work, and be proud that I tried everything.” 

Reconnecting with Self

I reconnect with myself when I write. This allows me to experience how what & why I feel something at any moment. The act of penning down my thoughts sets me free.

Most of us can only be fully present for a short period. The same is true for me. But I've still been trying to slow down, listen, learn, unlearn, explore, and be curious about what's happening within me.

I am a multitasker and have a demanding role professionally. I get pulled in several directions simultaneously and operate in multiple environments simultaneously. I have been navigating life trying to make sense of whom I am distributing my time to across things like work, obligations, family, and passions. I have not been myself for quite some years, and just been feeling dimmer, stressed, exhausted, and irritable. 

Emotions build up over time and get trapped in us. But then, they manifest as bursts of unusual emotional breakdowns, unpleasantness, anger, irritability, negativity, and anxiety, signaling that something is off. And as this darkness weighs down, we are in a powerful place of transformation. You just got to trust the process and hang in.

The same has been my journey. I have sometimes felt helpless in coping with my emotions and situations. And finally, I have been able to break that non-stop loop of stagnancy and demotivating thoughts with my small initiatives. It's a start but feels better heading toward a newer version of myself.

Believe me; it takes time to get a hold of yourself, ranging from days to months and even years. You cannot define a period as to how long you would take to begin feeling better. But a day comes, and you experience the breakthrough. This is only when you get to reconnect with yourself.

Being heard, seen, and accepted is a potent catalyst for reconnecting with yourself. Sometimes we want to share our emotions and are not looking for solutions. So, pour your heart out to someone you feel emotionally comfortable with. This 'someone' may not necessarily be from your family or friends. It could be your therapist or even a stranger.

Break free from the habit of judging others and the fear of getting judged by others. Accept your vulnerability. It is an essential measure of courage that allows people to be seen and understood by those who are crucial in their lives.

I have now embraced my authentic self and love growing older. I thought I'd fear it when I was in my teens and even right after graduating college. But I've found that life continues to reveal greater insight, wisdom, and beauty about itself the more we seek to find ourselves.

Maintaining our emotional equilibrium is essential to be fully present for anyone else. Our professional and personal lives are intertwined. We cannot be distinctly two different entities in these two areas. Instead, there will be a common thread running across the two. Discover what it is for you.

What is it that helps you reconnect with yourself? Do you know? If not, then ponder over it today.