#2- What you do with your time matters
My teenage years were essentially a big mess of contradictory feelings and existential crises. Like many, I’m sure.
I went through periods of joy, depression, anxiety, and hope.
There are a lot of things I regret about this time of my life, mostly things that I didn’t do rather than things that I did.
I was the stereotypical shy kid who was pretty good at school and always listened to what teachers and adults told me. I was never really someone who had a lot of friends. I never took many risks. …
Don’t let this year get the best of you.
I’m not sure how it’s December but people seem to be saying it is. I don’t think I believe my calendar anymore.
Did someone just decide to skip, like, October or something? In a really sneaky way so that we wouldn’t notice?
Well.
I guess I’ll have to assume that we have indeed reached the final month of 2020, or I could always start a new conspiracy that October never existed, that the powers that be removed it for some nefarious purpose. But I will not do that, because I am not a strange person.
So as we come to…
We all needed to be a little stoic this year
I have always been a fan of the stoics.
Like many, I find their philosophy to be extremely simple and applicable to our everyday lives. While many philosophers tend to ramble through overly convoluted, barely comprehensible monologues, the stoics put a focus on creating a practical philosophy, one than somebody could pick up and start to follow in a matter of an hour to two if they were so inclined.
The year 2020 has been a good one to be a stoic. In fact, there are times when it has been absolutely necessary in order to keep ourselves sane.
While…
Leave the worst year in recent history behind you
The year has been disappointing, to say the least.
Personally, I started the year brimming with enthusiasm and expectation, which is rare for me.
The year of 2020 hit me with a brutal reality check a few months in, however, as I became sick with COVID, and ended up suffering from the long, drawn-out form of the virus, which left me with debilitating symptoms, notably extreme fatigue, for months on end. I am still having occasional flare-ups to this day, although I have learned how to deal with them better. …
Admit it, you’re addicted
The first time I realised I was addicted to my phone was when it started becoming an obstacle in my relationship with my girlfriend.
The thing was an emotional, mental, and often physical barrier between the two of us.
I often found myself barely listening to what she was saying and occasionally completely ignoring her, whilst mindlessly eyeing up my device.
She, as someone who appears to be immune to phone addiction for whatever reason, naturally, began to get fed up with seeing her boyfriend being held hostage by a handful of social media companies manifesting themselves on a tiny…
Get your energy back
From what I can see, everyone is tired this year.
People are struggling to cope physically and emotionally with the unprecedented changes and chaos that 2020 has ensued.
Although, there appear to be two types of fatigue that are going around at the moment. There is the classic fatigue, the exhaustion that accompanies everyday life and all of its stresses, obviously amplified by our current situation. Then there is COVID fatigue.
As a sufferer of the long-haul version of COVID, I can attest that I have never been so tired in my entire life.
Those who have had a decent…
A tale of two mindsets
Creativity is a strange thing.
Sometimes it seems like it’s gone on vacation, usually when you’re super energised and ready to produce some great work.
Other times it won’t stop tapping you on the shoulder at 3AM.
I personally resonate with an idea that Elizabeth Gilbert shared in her book ‘Big Magic’. The idea that creativity and inspiration are not part of us, but are separate entities which come and go as they please, and we can either accept their presence or simply ignore them.
I find that dealing with creativity is a constant negotiation, and I have realised that…
A word of caution to young people
I was worried about COVID earlier than most.
I had been following the updates day after day as they came in from China and beyond. The number of new cases, new deaths, how many new countries were being affected.
Like everyone, I was scared.
Hearing the news from places like Italy and Iran where the virus appeared to be ripping through the population with no sign of letting up, that was when I started to get shivers down my spine.
I had never imagined where I would be six months later.
At the tail-end of the worst illness I have…
Eat your way to a stronger immune system.
In the time of coronavirus, flu and every other nasty germ floating around at this time of the year, it’s always important to ensure the proper functioning and enforcement of our immune systems.
There is no shortage of products out there that promise to “strengthen you and your family’s immune system this flu season” with advertisements featuring an overly content-looking mother with her extremely overly content-looking children happily gulping down a mystical purple fluid which of course has the power to make you invincible to illness. …
All of my lockdown-induced ramblings for your enjoyment
I’m currently living in France, which was essentially placed into lockdown on Saturday evening, with all non-essential businesses and public places closing until further notice.
This leaves me with a lot of time on my hands during this period of quarantine, and a lot of time to think and reflect on the ins and outs of this pandemic, from a philosophical/common-sense standpoint.
I’ve been thinking about our society, our responsibilities and habits, and what needs to change.
I’ve also been considering what this means for me, and thinking about how I’ve been living my life recently.
Here are some of…
Owen Lloyd
Just wandering about.
