If you’re reading this right now, congratulations. You’re alive. Or are you really?
Every day seems a little worse than the day before, doesn’t it? There’s no use in sugarcoating the realities we each are facing. Even if it means dragging ourselves out of bed every morning, letting out a deep and heavy sigh as we drift off to sleep at night, there’s one courageous thing that we never fail to do—that is to try.
Recently, I learned the value of taking one day at a time. Looking back at the “normal” past will push you to an endless pit of melancholy while looking too far ahead might be filled with many empty promises, leaving you in despair. There’s an equilibrium many take for granted, and that’s the importance of the little things you do today.
Feel the sun
With the unpredictable weather, the sun is a blessing—in the morning at least. There’s just something so energizing as you feel the sun’s warm kiss on your skin, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Together with your 3-in-1 or brewed coffee, the sun-and-coffee tandem makes you feel invincible. It reassures you that you can conquer anything the day throws at you.
Sweat your stress out
Although exercising is backed up by science to directly affect your disposition, it seems so difficult to do. But the hardest part is starting. Midway through a simple exercise, you’ll be thankful that you pushed yourself to start. The back pains we experience after sitting through school or work can be assuaged by a 30-minute yoga routine on YouTube. Stretching every now and then is a simple way to give back to your body that has been working hard throughout the day.
Zoom out
The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but not when they’re busy squinting, or twitching due to all those emails and lectures. A few minutes away from the screen produce great ripples. Raising the volume of your music while watering your plants, attempting to cook a Korean dish you saw on a K-drama, or tidying up your closet and upcycling clothes that you haven’t seen for the longest time—it’s in the little things. If today, you don’t exactly have the luxury of time to do all these things, simply set your gaze away from the screen frequently, and hopefully, your eyes will feel slightly more relaxed.
Breathe in, breathe out
As radical as it sounds, almost everything can be solved through a deep inhale and exhale. It’s because after, our mind resets, and finds a way to think clearly. Although letting your frustrations out by crying is another alternative, breathing techniques are just a tidier way to let it all out. Exhaling is just like a metaphor for letting go of all the things you can’t control with a distracted mind.
Friend zone
Just like exercising, you might have second thoughts before joining a Zoom
kumustahan with your friends, but midway through the call, you’ll realize that you needed it. It’s so easy for our friends’ messages to wind up at the bottom of our inboxes, but that extra scroll it takes to remember them amid everything might just make their day. From low-maintenance friends to friends who have different love languages, let your friends know that you treasure them today.
In service, not out of service
Instead of being out of service, there are so many opportunities to be in service. By going the extra mile, or in these times, the extra click, you can come across different fundraisers for various causes, or initiatives by your local communities.
There’s always a way to help someone out there, and sometimes, you don’t even have to look too far. Service is the most compassionate thing you could practice, for others and for yourself.
At the end of the day, you know yourself the best. Maybe other things help you get through your day, or maybe you rely on the future to motivate you. Go for it. Just by your desire to introspect and know what keeps you going is already a cause for celebration. As Lao Tzu once said, “Great acts are made up of small deeds.”
So today, make the little things count because they definitely do matter.
—CONTRIBUTED INQ
