"How are you feeling?" Have you asked yourself of that question lately, most often than not, we limit ourselves asking that question to other people only. Not being mindful of what we're feeling can cause us (our brain, specifically) to direct us into having bad moods. When this happens, our brain instantly blame other people for causing our bad mood. It's an ugly cycle that most of us get stuck in.
The things we have to be mindful of are the most simple things that our body needs. These simple things always get overlooked at because its necessity seems so trivial for us. Simple things like sleep, rest, and having eaten something greatly affects our outlook. These are the simple blocks we need everyday to power through with what we have to accomplish.
From the times I did runs in the morning or in the afternoon, those things were the ones I have always kept in mind. Have I slept early the night before? Was I able to have rest from the other things I was doing? Have I eaten food that will give me energy to run a few laps? Simple questions. But, I often miss asking myself those questions on other things. In doing runs, I could notice myself having difficulty in breathing properly or having leg cramps. That's when I know that I'm probably too tired. However, when we do our daily tasks like making reports, presentations, doing calculations, having conversations with other people, and more, we don't easily notice that we are, in reality, tired at that moment.
The simple things I have mentioned above are the reasons why we find ourselves being cranky and putting blame to the people around us. It may be odd for you to know about this but it can be easily fixed too. When we find ourselves being beaten by our bad mood, we can also do simple things like drinking a glass of water, taking a nap, breathing mindfully, or eating something delicious.
Looking back, I can't pinpoint when was the time I became an adult. Was it during my 18th birthday? Was it when I finally landed a job and started paying my own bills? There's no specific time that I can say for the when, but what I noticed, for most us adults, we often attribute everything to the big and important reasons. The simple ones are only for the young person I was before. That is why, we are most often caught up in the cycle of feeling bad and looking around for whose fault it could be.
The philosopher Matsuo Basho had his interest on this matter. He believed that the small and simple things of life make a big difference. Even his career reflected this principle because he was a known poet. His works are called haikus, which are very short poems. There was a time in my life when I was so fascinated with haikus, and still now. I am amazed on how with just limited number of lines and syllables, poets are able to put emotions and stories into their work.
The weight of the little things in our lives, its magnitude, is something we should value. No matter how simple feeling sunshine on our skin is like, or having a warm cup of coffee of tea, those things make a big difference on us. It's not always the grand moments of life that complete the puzzle, but most of the time, it's the little pieces.