Small Ways to Return to Yourself

Over the past few weeks, a common topic has emerged in our conversations with friends, perhaps partly due to the effect of summer: lethargy and listlessness. As we know, these situations are usually temporary and can vary from person to person. My personal problem is not being able to be productive. I started to think about how I could overcome this situation.

During such times, there are certain methods I try to use as much as possible. I’d like to share these with friends in similar situations, in case they might be helpful. They all seem very simple, but putting them into practice is another matter.

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I want to start with the most striking point. Getting enough sleep is crucial. I know that standard working hours don't really allow for this. Our entire social structure is built around specific timeframes. However, whenever we get the chance, taking short naps can help to clear our minds. I have always thought it a shame that there is no siesta culture in our country. By this, I mean a designated period of time set aside for proper rest, rather than just a break. Allowing ourselves to rest at certain times of day can have a calming effect on our minds and our lives. After all, sleeping shows that we are not rushing to do something. Sometimes, after these short naps, we can make decisions and take action with a clearer mind.

Now, let me move on to another topic. Making changes to what we do during the day. As this is not an obvious point, we will need to address it from our own perspective. Let's think about our day. Perhaps we take the same route, see the same people and say the same things. We need to break these habits a little. For someone like me, who is very loyal to routine, this is not easy. However, changing a few routine actions can set in motion a series of events that affect how we are perceived. Ultimately, we set this chain of events in motion. Adding a little variety to what we do, whether alone or with others, can be beneficial. We know best how to do this.

Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash    

Finally, I'll keep this brief: dreaming is one of my favourite activities! Yes, it sounds simple, doesn't it? However, its impact depends on how freely we allow our imagination to run. Let me give you an example from my own life. Recently, I felt like I was falling behind in my monthly routine. Fatigue and a lack of enjoyment made matters worse. I used to feel this way more often in the past. I’m not sure, but personal circumstances may also be a contributing factor. In any case, this situation is hindering my reading and writing. Not being able to engage in these joyful habits that make me feel good is unpleasant.

That's why I tried to focus on the first two things I mentioned and started daydreaming again. Perhaps I didn't have enough time to read and write, but I realised that I hadn't daydreamed for a while. However, I had actually increased the amount of time I spent daydreaming quite considerably over the last year or two. I think I started to behave too systematically, almost robotically.

Upon realising this, I embraced my wild thoughts and jotted down whatever came to mind. Most of my notes were related to areas of reading and writing in which I felt I was lacking. I think I instinctively gravitated towards this approach. Ultimately, I wrote two new poems, explored new topics, organised my old notes — which I found the most tedious — and came up with two different book ideas beyond the content I already had. My dreams brought me joy and motivated me to take action. This was because the emerging ideas were new, different and fun. Sometimes we get this driving force from our friends and sometimes from our imagination, which we don't often use.

Therefore, if we can’t use our imagination, spending time with inspiring friends can also be effective. Just don't do what we did and try to break free from the cycle I mentioned in the first sentence of my writing.