The turbulence outside is reflecting itself within the mind these days. Some days, the mind is all over the place, with the news trickling in about people we know up close. It hits us hard. It’s a struggle to keep pace with the furious pace of thoughts triggering in from everything we read, hear or talk about. It’s scary how the thoughts are beginning to control the mind.
I snatch a chance to catch my breath, dropping every chore that I have at hand, watching the tumultuous flow surging across my mind, raging like a storm in the deep seas.
I shut my eyes now and realise that it calms me down. It actually works wonders. When I stop seeing things around me, I’m able to pull away from the storm that is engulfing me and draw in some quiet. After a while of deep breathing, the furious waves begin to recede from my line of vision. I’ve come to bank on this simple technique to reset my system when I’m edgy and feel the need to pause.
It’s been tough—the times we’re living through. The stories are as real as they get. The faces and the names are very familiar. Their smiling faces in happier times, come back to haunt. The fears, the worries and the rapid heartbeats are constants. The weight of the mind is way more than the sum total of the chores that have come to rest on us now.
But, life must go on. And so must we. The fight continues, though. And yet, despite the horrors that are playing out night and day, one can see tiny rays of hope in the midst of all the despair and the heartbreak. When leadership and systems fail at multiple levels and the most ordinary humans rise to help another, it gives us hope. We’re clinging to that right now, because, our lives literally depend on that.
Heartbreak. Anguish. Despair. Resilience. Hope.
One after another, in a seemingly endless loop!
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Written as part of our #SoulfulSunday freewriting exercise—a concept ideated by Vinitha, Shilpa and yours truly.
Hugs, Esha. The current situation is terrifying and we can’t depend on the authorities to improve the state. But yes, we the common man, are rising to the circumstance and doing whatever we can. Sometimes it is as little as asking ‘how are you’, but that is needed and appreciated in the current times of despair and loneliness.
Let’s hope for the best! ❤
You have described the situation right now so well. Yes times are dark,but there is always hope as long as people care enough. It’s the common people, you and me that make a difference; a friend, a neighbour, not those that sit in positions high up.