Slow down, you young one!

This month has been fully loaded with so many exciting things! From much anticipated movies to shocking natural disasters; from one vacation destination to another; from ending semesters to initiating jobs! In times when things seem endless, it is easy for someone to get burnt out. Yes, including me.

That’s what I felt this month. I’ve been wanting to keep up with the pressure of meeting goals, beating deadlines, and even acquiring fortunes. I’ve been sleeping for 5 hours yet my mind was restless. True enough, my body manifested the stress I have going on in me, as I started feeling headache, fatigue, and muscle pain. Worse, my emotional stability lost its balance as I have developed anxiety in moments of supposed silence.

I was giving my all, sacrificing even some important things, when one criticism from a manager reached my end. I was doing things too quickly that quality was compromised. My motivation to get things done quickly faded upon realizing that compliments were replaced by criticism. All of these despite the hard work. All of these despite attempting to win the race.

Discouragement started to crumble, and I decided to pause for awhile. Leaving everything behind, I accidentally watched an old film titled 13 going 30. Sounds familiar? Basically, the main character was in a rush to grow up but upon having her wish granted, she realized how bad a person she had become. How she forgot to do the right things she used to realize when she was only a teenager. Her toxic environment changed when she decided to feel alive. She refocused on the essential, instead of the mere decorations such as power and status. Only then, she knew she had to be young not only once, but for a lifetime.

Remember the days when you were just getting the afternoon passed by? Remember the times when all you had to do was run around your neighborhood without thinking of time? Remember when you had to go out of the weekend without thinking of pressure? Why were you enjoying before as compared to now? Why was the powerless state more enjoyable compared to your well-accomplished life?

Simple. It’s because we used to slow down. We focused only on what we felt alive, what made us happy. We envisioned a good life with all the people who matter. I guess that’s what I missed. This month. Who know, perhaps for a long time?

Slow down, you young one.