There is a lot of uncertainty in the air of my universe at the moment. Some of it is shared between us like wars, countries’ aggressive expansions and global threats. Some live in my immediate world of rising interest rates, team restructures and changes. The news of changes can be unsettling. Our body machinery wants to keep us alive, safe and secure. Any potential to upset the equilibrium is not welcomed.
It is understandable because maintaining the status quo guarantees predictable results. It is however ironic because if we continued living the same way we would never venture out of caves and steppers, kept wearing furry hides and dig for wild potatoes (or whatever was the main source of food at the time). I like my airconditioned apartment, freshly ground coffee in the morning and longer life expectancy compared to the hunter-gatherers’ world. I am forever grateful to the first human that decided to pack up their belongings and left the cave to chase the sun.
Neither your body cares about you becoming a healthy version with a healthy BMI. Apparently, our brains hate us losing weight. I learnt it first-hand when starting intermittent fasting. The insatiable hunger kicks in around 9:45 right before bedtime. Everything around resembles buckets of KFC fried chicken and tabs of ice cream. The brain does not care about the dangers of high cholesterol at that point. All it wants is to scroll through the offers on the UberEats app picking the worst options on the menu.
And then there is another kind of news. Other humans in similar circumstances doing exceptionally well. Building rockets to fly to another planet, spreading their genetic material in an attempt to repopulate the earth, buying social media platforms and acting like living demigods. It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole of self-doubt, anxiety and all kind of shitty emotions that frankly should not exist in the first place.
But hey I have good news for you. The sun is shining, the earth is spinning and we are all collectively still breathing. Existence is an experience to be lived and not ruminated about. When in doubt it’s important to keep in mind that we have our own unique journeys. We do not know what happens in the mind of another person no matter how happy and successful they may appear.
I still remember a lesson from Kung Fu about the traditional stance. It was an awkward spectacle at first look. Feet, knees, hands and elbows pointing at the opponent with an upright stance. I was curious about its practicality but the explanation made perfect sense. The exaggerated stance is in essence a bike with training wheels. Once the concept is learnt the structure and stance are internalised. Then irrespective of circumstances the fighter oriented themselves toward the opponent at all times with their spine upright even though it looked nothing like the stance they learnt in the beginning.
Just like the invisible stance, we can take our sense of balance through turbulent times. For me, balance is my daily routines, fitness, friends and family. Doing stuff I love like learning and writing. And not forgetting to take breaks and unwind.