"WE MAY HAVE SUFFERED MORE in our own imagination than in reality." (This quote is credited to the great political figure Seneca); We were born without anything, not even the clothes we love. So, anything that we've got in life today, no matter how small, is already a bonus; Don't let your interpretation of anything, especially a side of reality, affect your wellbeing; 90% of life suck; that's the reality.
But the other 10% is something really really worth living your life for; The ability of breath when suffocated is the true meaning of optimism; Don't try too hard. A wise sage once said, "When you want nothing, everything is yours. So, it's best when you do nothing. The second best is not wanting anything in return when you do something; Do good things. Don't do bad things. With the hope that, eventually, you'll get to do nothing at all.
There's a true sense of peace when you're not obligated to do anything and for anyone; When things get hard, remember the good things that had happened in your life, re-live them in your imagination, and use them as emotional energy to live. Giving up living before your time comes (and believe me, it will come) is a waste of opportunity to see things the way they really are; At least, every once in a while, try to be the best version of yourself; I don't know what passion is.
What makes more sense is to know what you're good at doing, and what you love doing. It'd be awesome if these two things are the same, but if they're not, then you're going to choose what to do. That decision is what I think of as passion; You're going to die one day, and it could be today or tomorrow. If you feel as though your job is bullshit. Don't let it be the last thing that you do.
Giving it up to live in the woods is better than spending even a minute doing bullshit job; and, Don't explain yourself to someone who is already prepared to come up with an argument to rebuke it.
post Day 106: Coping with COVID-19 Anxiety: Super Practical Things To Do During at Home Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 I wrote this post on Medium (my new favorite place to read) a while ago and thought that it might be useful to re-post it here with some feedback on thoughts and comments that the post received. Over the past months, I interviewed hundreds of people in order to understand what to do to help them cope with COVID-19 anxiety.
Oh, right, I hadn't been keeping you guys updated for a while regarding what I've been doing lately. In a nutshell (otherwise it could be a post in itself) I've finally, eventually, and ultimately found a dream job, working as a supporting unit for communities who need help. What I find to be the most troubling thing for these people whom I am responsible for helping is how they are dealing with the deepest sense of uncertainty brought about by the abrupt change.
Such uncertainty affects the deepest sense of how they maintain our sense of livelihood. Based on professional consultations I have given to hundreds of people across the globe, here are the 3 super practical things to do now: 1. Take this time to do an inventory of your household objects and finance Although many of us get to stay at and work from home, most of us are actually stay home and feel anxious rather than be productive. I, for one, was like that back in February and March.
After so many plans had been cancelled, I was left with no a lot to look forward to. Having too much time on our hand also isn't helping. The time that we usually spend socializing water cooler-side is also completely gone. It's hard, of course, as although we humans are resilient we are wired to socialize.
When you feel anxious and could no longer sit at your work-from-home desk, the most sensible thing to do is to take this very special time to do an inventory of your house — honestly deciding what you want to keep and what to throw out, give away or donate. Organizing and tidying up doesn't require you to be focused all the time. In fact, you could also listen to your favorite podcast, radio, audiobook, or music while doing it.
It doesn't have to be as extreme as Marie Kondo's Netflix show, but the philosophy of only keeping what sparks joy is a good start. Apart from the house and food, you may be surprised that most people come down to just a piece of checked luggage that actually need in their life. The rest can go, probably slowly, since we humans are also built to hoard. Do the same with your finance. Extra credit cards that you never use, cancel them.
Duplicate media subscriptions that you don't have time to watch or read them all, cut it down to the single most important one. Do that ruthlessly as if you're Julius Ceasar — I come, I cut, I conquer. 2. Learn Something I'll be upfront: I am now a big fan of online learning.
This is the best time to learn something new because you can no longer give yourself a lame excuse (as I often did) of "not having the time." We are moving into a new era where knowledge is becoming completely democratized. It may not come as a surprise to you that such a process isn't quite as difficult as anyone may have thought. Well, the way we teach (how a professor "professes" to the students) hasn't changed much over the last hundred years.
There are so many free online courses that you can take right now that will help you learn new skills that you may either need to tackle new career challenges or simply want to learn to keep your mind too busy to feel anxious (and it neurologically works!) I recommend choosing something that you have always wanted to learn. I just started a bunch including Korean 101 on Coursera which I always wanted to learn because my best pal is Korean.
How about those books you picked up from a bookstore a while ago serving as a statue of your lack of will? Start reading them. 3. Give, Give, and Give The next best thing you can do is to appreciate giving. We are all living in the world that applauds competition, where selfishness is sometimes just and is held as the critical element of success. There are hundreds of self-help books and gurus out there who are telling you to "say no" to achieve.
In other words, if you want to be successful, be selfish with your time. But the fact that gurus have to tell you to "say no" is because our nature is not to do so. This is a time when stopping is good, when staying home t is an act of kindness, when not competing is saving lives. This is the time to let go out of your sense of having to be selfish to protect your opportunity. This is the time to regain your sense of generosity.
Start with whatever you don't need, hand them over to someone else who may need them. If your personal finance allows, donating to a good cause is most effective. You can also volunteer your time. Blood donation is also a good idea. Leaving behind what you no longer need frees up your cognitive ability to appreciate things more clearly. The appreciation of giving, as a bonus, reinforces your sense of social responsibility that in turn elevates your sense of self-esteem and therefore well-being.
Within a week, you'll be less anxious, happier, and more grateful that, at least, we are in this together.
When Things Get Rough, Do This