Don’t let every incident frazzles you.
Summer Lotus Dec 4 4 min read
What sustains me through some ups and downs that some people see as stress, I credit it to my ability to stay calm and logical.
Just a simple case in point. Today, I found that my wallet went missing. It contained all my credit cards, teller machine cards, cash, and other small items.
In the past, I used to go into a frenzy. Maybe, it is due to the wisdom acquired with age, I have clearer thinking. But I like to say that ever since I started writing, it has made my thoughts crystal clear. I ruminate, ponder, and analyze more these days. The Key is never to panic.
My rationale goes this way. I have set notifications on my mobile. If anyone used any of my credit cards, I would be notified immediately and I can call the banks to stop any further transactions.
Secondly, I had twice unknowingly locked the wallet in my office’s cabinet so it might be there again. There is no hurry to rush down to the office on a public holiday ( this is hard to come by)to know that there is a 99% chance of my wallet sitting safely in the cupboard.
Thirdly, as I would be home the whole day, there is no necessity to retrieve my wallet. It would be a good test of faith in my rational thinking, a test of my patience to sit out this small mental drama, and a chance to stop doing any unnecessary shopping.
Actually, the most essential test was that I wanted to see if I am able to remain peaceful throughout today till the next morning when I report for work. It is good training for me as I am not exactly a very relaxed person.
My goal is to make sure that nothing jitters me in life, not even death. Everything will be OK. If it is not Ok, then I shall deal with it as it comes.
Supposing that I could not find my wallet. My next step would be to inform the banks, suspend the cards, which is a troublesome thing to do but then it is necessary if I want to prevent any fraud. It would take up much time but that would teach me a lesson never to be mindless again.
Case 2
A family member had gotten so highly strung and I diagnosed it as Covid-19 related stress.
What does one expect if you are always keeping track of the infection cases and death rates most of your waking moments? One fear led to another. The election in the US has kept many in suspense around the world.
He fretted about both scenarios. Now that Donald Trump is clearly out, there was the fear of big riots by his die-hard supporters which is highly unlikely in the first world country.
If he wins, there would be fear of a really disastrous four years ahead. If Biden wins, there is a fear that his work would be made difficult by the Republicans and the economy would go down anyway.
He also voiced that the vaccine and possible effects despite the positive declaration. The world is going to the dogs.
This filters down to the people in the family because everyone has to bear with the negativity. It is pervasive through many families as I found out.
Meanwhile, I shall keep my cool. By sharing more animal memes to make everyone laugh. I also like to share jokes that make people laugh in chat groups.
By not forgetting the bliss that surrounds us every day and feeling grateful. By indulging in stuff good for the senses such as music and the arts and spreading these ideas around.
By rendering help in any small way we can to people who have been disadvantaged in this crisis.
But let us not lose our cool.
This is because many things are not in our control. We must do what we need to do to prevent the spread of the virus. To be encouraging and be supportive of others in their struggles. Meanwhile, time wheezed past and one would wonder what we could have done with the time that had gone by when the world becomes normal again and I believe that it would.
“ What consumes your mind, controls your life” — unknown quote.
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