The Bare Minimum Approach to Get Back Up After Feeling Lost.
As I start writing this, the Medium blank Canva has this text in light grey that says, “tell your story” boy, I will.
It all started when I decided to quit my corporate 9–5.
A job opportunity to be a personal assistant with no schedule and working from home came to me.
I felt I was at the most focused time of my life.
My fitness was at its peak. Nutrition and weight lifting.
I was studying at my own pace and had a great sleeping cycle.
I had a morning routine, could work anywhere, and spend time with my close ones whenever I decided to.
I was at a point where I allowed myself to take things slow.
It all seemed too good to be true until it was, and everything crashed.
One day my boss told me he couldn’t afford to pay me anymore, and in under a month, I had no job, and my bills started to pile up.
I had to choose between returning to a traditional job or starting the brand I had dreamed of owning for some time.
Before jumping into the black hole of becoming a freelancer, I still had a lot of research and learning.
Fast forward to the past month, I faced some dark days.
I had to move out of my apartment and go to a flat out of town.
I was tired, sick, and broke.
Less than two weeks after moving in, I was informed someone had passed into the apartment next door.
Nobody knew it was there till about 10 days after it happened.
Yeah..
I can’t express any frustration close to comparing what the neighbor’s family went through after banging the front door down to find out the news.
I’ve experienced what not taking the days for granted actually means and how it changes your worldview.
That’s why I decided I was not wasting any more time mourning the life I had and how I didn’t see it coming.
This is what I’m doing to get back up and find the life I know is waiting for me to reach it.
Structures will soar over any chaos.
After so much, I felt I didn’t know how to build up a routine again, but it boils down to a simple mindset around health.
Physical health, mental health, spiritual health, and something I call space health.
I’ll give you details on each.
On Physical health
Since I had to cancel my gym membership, I built a little gym room with some equipment I used during quarantine.
I will work out from home and walk for as long as possible daily.
I’m starting with a few no-brainers to pick up what my messy eating habits left me. I’m following Jordan Syatt’s 1, 2, 3 rule for healthy eating/being in a calorie deficit without tracking:
1 Big Ass Salad loaded with veggies and protein. 2 pieces of raw fruit daily. 3 bottles of water. Any bottle of your choosing.
I tracked my macros for most of last year, but I need simple things to follow until everything is balanced. So, the 1, 2, 3 method will be, for now.
Mental health.
On this, I’m:
Journaling for as long and as often as I can.
It’s cliché, but it’s surprising how liberating it is to free your brain from the thoughts rotting inside.
Spending time alone to meditate and ground myself.
I want to reflect on
All the things that have happened,
What they’ve taught me,
And how I want to shift my actions and decisions for the better.
I’m also having meaningful conversations with close ones.
Sometimes big realizations come from strangers too, but if you have someone to talk to, reach out and let things out in a safe space.
Spiritual health.
This can come from different sources depending on your beliefs.
Sitting outside with sunlight and fresh air to listen to what the universe is trying to tell you.
We get so caught up in the noise of mindless actions that we forget that some things speak loud in the silence.
There’s no need to express everything.
Sometimes all you need is to cry or look up to the sky and sink everything in. Let some things change you, and let some things dare you to fight back.
You don’t need to understand why things happen immediately, but trying to accept it and move on can do wonders.
Space health.
During days filled with errands and bad news, I couldn’t stop thinking about one thing.
What is the most important thing to me?
Sometimes I’ve got it, and others, I have no clue what I’m chasing. Nowadays, I believe it’s narrowed down to this simple yet complex thing.
Space.
All I’ve ever wanted is space. Space is a physical place to exist and create; space is an opportunity to create and make choices.
To promote space health, I’m ensuring everything around me is
clean, organized, and minimalistic.
I’m making sure everything I own has a reason to be with me, and if it has lost its purpose or use, I’m giving it or throwing it away.
It takes time, especially after moving to a new place, but it’s slowly taking shape. I can already feel it healing me from the inside out.
I’m still new to experiencing these challenges that prove to yourself what you’re made of.
I wish I had done something to avoid such a hard fall, but I know this is shaping me, my character, and my stamina.
In the end, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you’re going through something similar, where all the noise is ripping you apart, know that:
You’re not alone. You can get back up, as you’ve done with so much before.
There’s nothing that some type of order can’t help to heal.
Trying times are signals and opportunities, grab them tight and change your life.
