Navigating the unknowns
It’s been a month since I finished studying at the university and this is just enough time for life to hit through me. I have been a student for so long since I took a double degree in college. I started nursery at around 3 years old and finished school at 23. Two decades of school. It seems like I have been programmed to study and study and handle my side hustles. Now, I am literally unsure of what comes next.
To tell you, I have plans of course. The things I want to do and accomplish even have their own respective timelines. They are just too much that I feel overwhelmed. I do not know where to start, even as of writing. The past few weeks, I have been doing things to compose myself as I navigate through the next steps in my life. And if ever you feel overwhelmed and lost, it is completely valid. I hope these things can help you in some way.
- Zone-out
It is easy to feel tired or just indifferent if life becomes a bit of routinary. With this, it is helpful to zone out a little bit. Go on a vacation and rest. Deviate from your usual routines. Rekindle your past habits or discover a new passion. Sometimes, you can see the bigger picture by looking at it from a different angle.
2. Consult!
I think it is really important to talk and consult with people who shared the same feeling or have gone through the same experience. Believe me, they will give the best advice. Talk to friends, family members and the people you consider as mentors. They will understand and genuinely help you concretize the ideas you want to put forward.
3. Give it time
Most of us have been doing work so much that the idea of rest is a luxury. But the truth is, no time is wasted if you use it for recovery. Give yourself some time to think, because big steps in life deserve our attention and rethinking. This will help us feel ready when we make choices and weigh the pros and cons of our decisions too.
4. Adjust, and embrace
If you feel like a lot of new things are happening, give yourself room for adjustment as well. I sincerely believe that all great things take time to unfold. Do not be too hard on yourself because there is always a learning curve to new situations. After all, if it is meant for you, it will just feel natural to embrace it. There is no need to force what is yours divinely.
5. Let it be
My mentor said that I am scared and lost because I have yet to face the unknowns. And it is true. All of the things that we do for the first time make us feel nervous. Eventually, once you are in there, you will find your way to survive. Sometimes we worry too much about the future and we linger too much about the past, that we forget about the moment. What if, we just let the present be?
Again, there is no blueprint in life. All of us have our own stories and ways of going through them. These are just the things I find worthy to keep here. Hoping that life will turn out good for us, as we navigate through its unknowns — bravely, steadily and genuinely.
Love and light,
Renalene Nerval
Parañaque City, Philippines
March 24, 2022.
