"It seems as if our entire generation needs psychiatric help!" my friend noted as we discussed what some of our friends are going through.
Hallelujah, you throw your graduation cap into the air, and you're now on the verge of exploring what lies ahead, only to find yourself standing on a slope where you only have either of two options; you can either carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and roll down the hill, or take a deep breath, acknowledge the difficulty of the situation, but summon up all the powers you have within to start climbing up the steep hill.
A misconception that series and movies have implanted in our heads is that the more drama you have in your life, the more sympathetic people will be with you. Snap out of it يا روح قلب ماما. That only goes as far as movies! You see, in real life, if you have a lot of drama, some kind hearted people may offer you a helping hand to assist you with picking yourself up... but just like anyone who exerts a lot of effort with them barely paying off, they will be repelled and discouraged to carry on at one point or another.
Thing is, efforts paying off don't necessarily mean that you'll poop rainbows and butterflies overnight. An altered perspective that upholds more positivity would certainly show will for a brighter change.
Often do we undermine the way we address ourselves. As a journalism graduate, I very well know how the choice of one word over the other can ignite riots, and this applies similarly to how your mind converses with you. For instance, if your mind tells you "I'll do my best...," well, how far does "your best" get you? Does it get you all the way?
Now, try instead to say "I'll keep on going, and I shall do whatever it takes to get to the finish line." Do think there would be difference in how you act accordingly?
Of Graduation and Frustration
All through our years of education, it feels as if we're walking through a dark tunnel with a white light at its end, and the more we proceed, the brighter matters seem to get; but the light is it too bright that it prevents us from seeing what truly lies beyond the tunnel. Yet, we feel very hopeful about reached the light.
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| Self Portrait by Nourhan Refaat |
I know how awful it may feel to have lost all sense of security as your lifetime plan starts to dissolve before you. It's not the prettiest feeling to have to acknowledge that reality isn't as you have expected it to be, but remember that you always... ALWAYS... have an option. Where you go from there is YOUR CHOICE, and yours alone, and it's primarily you who bears up with the consequences. You can either slowly sink as you mourn your life away, or you can be realistic and man enough to embrace life with whatever it brings your way, while working out a way to make the best out of it.
Push the Happy Button
Until a year ago, before I graduated, my friends had always referred to me as a life lover, and sometimes even an inspiration. Where I stand right now, my self image seems to have lost its shiny sparkle that gave people hope; that gave ME hope! I know that for someone who has been through real shit to read about an almost fresh graduate expressing her mind so dimly would only bring them to tears of laughter, and I'm sure that one day when I'm old enough to have had my share of real shit, I will be laughing about what I'm writing right now. But nevertheless, this counts!
In many years, you may not vividly recall the intensity of a harsh phase you were going through, but it's how you deal with them now that would either lead to you locking them up in history, or carrying on to endure them all the way till then.
I don't want to blame what I'm going through on a job that I claim sucked the life out of me, or anyone in my life, because the choice to be happy is MINE, and mine alone!
Action is what I am supposed to do. Happy action. Tweaking my thoughts down the happy lane, and acting upon which.
I know I need to play sports. I know I need to allocate more time for reading and writing. I know I have the time for them, but I need to put that time to better use.
I hope though that I won't be another hypocrite who fakes happy thoughts, and goes to sleep with a weighed down spirit and heart.
I owe it to myself to be happy and bright, and I owe it to every person who once considered me an inspiration in one way or another.
You, too, owe it to yourself!
Mourning won't bring back anything. So chill, and BE HAPPY!
If you agree with the previous, why don't you share your ideas on picking oneself up, and maintaining a bright perspective on life?
