Category: Self Preservation

Guard Yourself from the Negativity of Loved Ones this Holiday Season

Fun fact: you can ‘dead’ conversations that trigger you. The holidays do not pose as an invitation for your family to spread their negative energy on to you. It may be easier said than done but you have to protect your peace. If you don’t want to talk about the heavy, traumatising, or angering issues disguised as”tea serving” matters, don’t.

The dash

What are you doing with the dash between your birth date and death date? That’s got to be one of the top 5 cliché questions/statements I hear at funerals. My answer is always that I’m existing in a world crumbling around me and that’s good enough.

Choose Your Zombie-Slaying Apocalypse Team Well

I’d choose the folks who are teachers – not necessarily by profession but by character trait. Teachers, the real ones, are willing to learn and adapt as much as they are willing to lead and teach. I learned somewhere once that the greatest leaders know how to step aside and follow. They know how to take instructions and follow accordingly. Leading and being a leader is much more than delegating and parading around with a title.

A Friendship Breakup Isn’t a Bad Thing

From the friends you’ve had since you were a child to the friendships built in adulthood – the hard truth is that you may not always be friends. Some friendships fizzle, others have an abrupt end, while some last a lifetime. Wherever the pendulum swings, you have to be okay with it and move on.

Suicide Awareness and Prevention ;

The semicolon symbolises a continuation of someone’s life. It is a representation of strength in the middle of a storm. The punctuation mark is used as an affirmation of solidarity against a plethora of mental health issues including suicide, eating disorders and addictive behaviours.

My Place(s) Of Solitude

When you get sick or drop down and pass away, the people in your life will eventually move on (some more than others) and the list of to-do’s will either sit and gather dust or be passed on to someone else. Take your breaks and identify your spaces of solitude. Use your moments of solitude to get your mind right for you. Sometimes all you need to do that is take a nap or absent-mindedness watch something on a screen. For crying out loud, do not answer your phone in these moments. Resist the urge to be reachable 24/7.

It’s the silly things

Though my laughter isn’t always loud, it gets the message across. You know how facial expressions and body language depicts a message? Well, my laughter and its variations have their own language and its easily understood. I say this because the laughter, facial expressions and body language work together in unison. Its a sight to behold, actually.

Advice to my teenage self

Speaking of those who tease and pick at you: people like them show up at every stage of your life. Yep, even as an adult, you’ll come face to face with them. But guess what, you’ll be secure enough to know how to navigate them and their messy ways. Truth be told, somewhere along their journey, they were hurt and they project their hurt onto you. Love them, give them grace…but don’t allow them close to your heart.

Douse gaslighters with fire extinguishers

All gaslighters need is a little spark and if you don’t stand your ground, you’ll end up adding fuel to an unnecessary fire. You may even get tricked into giving them a proverbial lighter or some matches to make the fire worse. Stand your ground.