Digital minimalism

When most people hear digital minimalism they think of going cold turkey, about people who are “neo-luddites” who are concerned with a lot of modern technology and how it is having negative effects on our societies. Skepticism of these new advancements is valid - they will take jobs from people who need those jobs to make a living for themselves, they will make us more reliant on technology as we become deskilled in things like reading and writing, having our own thoughts, perceptions and ideas untainted by Ai Chat bots we so heavily rely on. This wildly quick advancement of Ai tools is incredible, it’s used all the time, I’ve used it a lot, it has some good use cases, not all negative. But, it will be being used a lot of email replies, course work, articles, so many things that would otherwise be written by us word by word. these tools are great for checking grammar, but we mustn’t use them too much.

Struggle with concentrating on one task, when in the studio, I will often be working on multiple things, going down rabbit holes, but the thing is, with webpages that are like slot machines all over the web, it’s unceasingly hard to focus. I decided to cut out some of this noise by getting what some call a dumbphone, but the companies who make them call feature phones, they mostly just make calls. My choice was a nokia 110 4g, so far it’s been good. Over the last few days I’ve upgraded it with a memory card, this has enabled me to put my own music on there. It has also enabled me to take my photos taken on the phone and upload them to my computer, now this is great because the camera is kind of shit, which I like because it makes you think about the composition and light a lot in the frame, you can take good pictures with it, but they will be blurry/grainy and very small. here’s one I took yesterday…

A Skelton/ skull wrapped in clothes in the front of a van, lot of truckers/van drivers do this as a bit of fun and to ward people off with the creep factor.


To me this picture is reminiscent of a old master painting of death, maybe a Rembrandt with the Ruffs he painted on a lot of his subjects, which symbolised wealth and status. Kind of funny to see this on a picture of a skeleton, ironic too, maybe symbolising our need for validation through consumer goods.

This new “dumb phone” I’ve got isn’t so dumb, it just isn’t capable of running apps that draw my attention to dumb shit like memes, silly news articles I’m not interested in or warfare I can’t do anything about, not to mention adverts telling me to buy everything all the time. No, this phone has whatever I choose to put on it, it’s making me be more intentional, which is what digital minimalism is really about according to the author of the book digital minimalism Cal Newport who says “Digital Minimalism A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.”― Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World See we don’t need to be on the net 24/7, we don’t need to be reachable 24/7, especially by people we don’t know, by companies trying to sell us shit that’ll break, that’s a waste of money, that is bad for environment.

The environment as well is a big concern, all of this consumerism, including the consumption of media, of Ai is just adding the the warmth of the earth. Ai data servers use a lot of energy, they also produce a lot of heat, which needs to be vented away, they need to be cooled, most likely by fans not liquid. this is all electricty, and mostly not environmentally friendly energy. So all this power for these tools that are helping us to make silly stories, cheat on degrees or help write emails and check grammar, is it really worth the cost of the earth to do this? NO! of course not. Should we limit the use of the technologies then, indeed we should. the more we use these things, the more traffic to these websites, the more bandwidth is needed, more servers, more memory, more electricty, constantly growing and upgrading. it’s a monster.

Pollution, from devices to, our need to upgrade is ridiculous, we need to move to a system or repairing things we own, of replacement parts in these devices rather than buying whole new things every year.

GOD.

Right that’s enough ranting for today, but just some of the things I am thinking about and need to write down, what’s everyones thoughts on these things and are you relying on these programs too much? I think I am, I think it needs to be reflected on as a bare minimum.


from the studio

At the studio today, finishing off the Auerbach study in watercolour and water soluble crayon. looking at the study of the munch painting from yesterday and thinking about a Ensor painting I want to copy. just stretched a square canvas, primed, it should be ready tomorrow for painting. tinking about skulls. below is also a finished work in watercolour and oil on linen.

untitled as of yet, this is the water colour and oil on linen I finished the other day

the Auerbach study in watercolour and water soluble crayons to the right of the frame, to the far left my study of the Munch painting. I’m tempted to do a bigger version after munch, incorporating more of my own techniques.

I love the munch painting. the floor is almost eating the child up, she is sinking and everything around her/them is screaming. in my version I just decided to amplify these, especially the floor and the eyes, which almost look like buttons sewn on in my picture.

Some paintings I'm looking at right now

Here are a couple of paintings I am interested in right now, one of which (the Auerbach) I can’t seem to find anywhere online, but I have a good book full of reproductions of Auerbach’s work so this is from that book written by William Feaver called Frank Auerbach published by Rizzoli.

Reclining Head of Gerda Boehm, 1978. Oil on Board, 17 1/8 x 17 1/8 inches (45.4cm x 45.4cm) Private collection. Frank Auerbach.

Here is another work I’m also looking at right now which is by Munch.

Death and The child (Das Kind und der Tod), 1899/1900. Oil on Canvas, 100cm x 90cm.

I think these images both stick out to me as I come to terms with my dad dying, it’s been almost two years now since his death but death is lingering, you see it everywhere, it is indeed a loud cry or scream, just what the girl in this picture is guarding her ears from. This child is all of us when we lose our parent, whatever age we are, we return to our youth, our world is changed forever, this is reality, things do affect me! We are not invincible, even now with modern medicine, less deaths especially in more economically developed countries with very good sanitary practices, pretty good health care, we are still all very much mortal beings.

We cannot escape Death’s Grip, weather it is our own lives or that of the people around us, we all are going that way, we must remember this everyday at some point. We must remember our loved ones, learn from them, how to live, how not to, take action accordingly.

Clarity

In the pursuit of clarity, I became obsessed with clarity for clarities sake which I think could lead to apathy and back to cycles of negative existential nihilistic behaviour. I have started to use the clarity from the strategies I have implemented in my life… working out, eating right, a good amount of rest, a tidy environment, grooming well, being well read. I have started to use the clarity to make positive changes, still though desire can catch me but I’m getting better at telling myself no, I don’t think it’s addiction where this desire stems but rather the shared human need for love, though I find loving myself is waiting and not chasing, it’s choosing to be picky about who I spend time with and to double down on my own intuition rather than ignore it like I have in the past. But back to using clarity… I have started to really enjoy being in my studio, to be writing, drawing, printing, and painting, planning workshops to expand others knowledge and learn from other people who partake in my workshops. Interested in expanding perception, I am writing a publication, it will be odd, more like a wallet than a book stuffed with different bits of paper for the exploration of others. I think writing thinking others will see it makes you write better, but we shouldn’t hold back, we should be true to ourselves and take from what nihilists believe, that life is meaningless so just enjoy the process. We can choose to see meaninglessness as positive in the idea that it doesn’t matter what others think, do you. Be yourself, you can’t be anyone else and you can walk away whenever you want. Say fuck you. Tart. You get what I’m saying.

 

Anyway, I’ve come to enjoy a basic understanding of the biology of the human eye as a starting point to my book which isn’t really a book but what is a book? According to Wikipedia it’s a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images. And my laptop is telling me it has pages glued or sewn together on one side. Well, I guess mine will be that, just a little bit experimental. Inspired by the Fluxus movement. Anyways take care everyone, peace. Don’t forget what you wanted to work on and don’t get too caught up in worry, take a walk and let things go in and out. Inhale and exhale.

Signals - how we perceive and react

We signal to others, using winks and whistles, gestures as small and quick as the blink of an eye, the speed of light. Through history we have developed ways of signalling to others important messages. Now we have come to a point in history where we can use these inventions to share pictures of our inner most thoughts, pictures of cats and nudes. We mustn’t forget that we can lose self-respect by blurting out anything. We must take pause, every day, for it is so easy to just click a button and announce to the world whatever we think in that moment in time. Currently not everyone will know the nuanced context of that statement, it is just a straight binary message. No one will understand the moments that led you to that statement. This leaves plenty of room for judgement, which people can also share at the blink of an eye, this in turn creates a feedback loop of negative energy and misinformation. Through this powerful signalling technology, we have a created a pit of anger. With the rolling news, the constant amalgamation of negative information shared, we are controlled through fear. We can escape, through positive thought, through the breaking down and understanding of human psychology. Through self-awareness. How we perceive things is altered by the medium used to convey the message. We need footnotes and disclaimers; we need context, and we need to understand the person before we can understand the message. Else it is just our experience projecting onto their plane of expression, which is a disrespect.

2024, bring it on

Sometimes I get dizzy, or bang my head on the wall, my beds too close to it, it shouldn’t be that close, and that taste in my mouth! Brush my teeth, still there, plunge into the cold then coffee, I’m energized, shit it out, BANG! Out the door. I’m smiling, you got me smiling, that message got me smiling, the new year, I’m ready baby. I know it’ll be hard at times but I’m ready, I’ll keep preparing for it, for that shit you wanna shower me in, you cruel hero.

Finding Purpose and Financial Freedom: A Journey of Collaboration, Discipline, and Growth

Struggling with purpose? You are it! Your purpose is to live, to work and get by, to work and enjoy it, work isn’t just what you do every day to make money to spend on things; it’s internal, it’s the working out, it’s creating a beautiful garden!

It takes two to tango; often a task needs two people to perform. To take things to the next level, we must collaborate. I was collaborating with a friend and still am; we are planning, strategizing, and facilitating events around our locality to socialise communities through creative endeavours. Our goal is to help other people; we realise that to lead a happy life, we need meaning, and a normal job just doesn’t cut it! We like to be our own boss, do things on our terms, and have freedom. The only way to get that freedom is by scheduling tightly. It’s by being disciplined and doing hard work regularly, not in small, big bursts but a series of small steps. Preparation is key, and feedback from a partner makes the ball roll faster.

My perspective on freedom used to be about escaping laborious tasks, but I soon learned this leads to not just boredom but also apathy. I was in a deep pool of apathy, existential waves getting bigger and bigger until WOOOOSH it hit me: get to work! We need to do work to have a purpose, to feel of value, to have worth. This work can be anything; it can be writing, building, engineering, teaching, cutting hair, making art, but it must somehow have a positive impact on humanity. This positive impact could be mood elevation in people through comedy or writing or therapy. It could be a vital necessity people require to live, like building houses or farming, so people have food to eat. What you do matters. If you feel it doesn’t, you need to sit down and introspect. You need to think hard about what brings you joy and figure out whether that can be a job. The way I see it, anything can be a job that brings in money to sustain your life if you work hard enough towards the goal.

To escape, to want that isn’t a good sign. We should instead be in a mindset where getting up every day gets us closer to our goal. We won’t take no for an answer; we will get there, one step at a time. We will get there, leapfrogging from one job to another. You don’t need permanent employment. To tackle the issue of the cost of living, we must rein in our spending and budget according to our means. Within the budget, there needs to be savings, even if you put away £25 a month. This practice will become habitual, serving you well when you come into more wealth. What is important is to think about spending carefully. We don’t want to impulse buy, to get instant gratification; those are often regretful buys. But we do want to invest in things, like good quality ingredients for meals we make ourselves, or clothing that lasts (buying second hand is very smart). I would also advise selling things online. Apparently, the average person has around £1000 worth of things around their house they could possibly sell. This is something I did recently to lower stress. I did an audit of things I don’t use anymore and realised I better sell these things quickly. This impacted me positively.

When we have more, it is tempting to spend more. This is where a tight spending budget needs to be applied, at least until you have emergency savings. A lot of people don’t. Have boundaries; tell people no. Let’s do something free; let’s do it at home.

Reduce spending, expand incomings, budget to save, invest in yourself. Frugality and hard work both take discipline; they both take having boundaries around spending. Remember that to have is not really to have, but often just to say we have or to boost the ego.

There is an abundance of wealth; there are many streams of revenue. To find them takes regular detective work, brainstorming, and most importantly, collaboration. To get things done, we need others. If we support one another to conquer our lives, to conquer debt, we will all come up together, stronger, and healthier than going at it alone. Not to say that part of the journey isn’t internal and about looking within, but in life, we mustn’t stray away from collaborating as a team!

We often think we are not good enough when we don’t feel like we are where we are supposed to be. But this is a comparison of other people’s lives, which are all very different from yours. We must remember to enjoy the process and grow from pain. Embrace the pain. Pain is temporary. I like to embrace it.

Get it.

How to make a zine, with a printable download.

How to make a zine download
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I have made this handy PDF file so people can print it out to help them understand how to make a zine in the simplest way possible. all that is needed is the print out or you can look at it on your screen and copy the instructions off of there.

Conflict resolution: how to become zen boi

Who is zen boi and how can I be him if im fed up with it all? Conflicts are something we continually have to put up with in life, sometimes we just can’t keep our cool. Sometimes the conflicts arise in our own minds, often they are just more heated because of how we perceive things and how we react on the spot and before you know it, out of control! But we can come back from them quickly, we can. We can cool down, we can remember that life is hard, everyone is going through something and that is why this happens, no experience is just one but a series of experiences leading up to that moment where you shout “you sausage head” or whatever it is after a slam in the ego. Bosh!

 

We must recognise when things are about to go funny, so we can start to come down from it before it even happens. But if you already shouted at someone in the car on the way there maybe you’re already on a high. Can’t take one more hit! But you can, if everything has gone south that day, remember this: YOU ARE THE CONTROLLER OF YOUR OWN MIND, you can choose to see things positively, try to laugh it off. Think of how stupid everything truly is in the grand scheme of things and become ZEN BOI.

 

Within us all is Zen BOI, is this calm creature, ready for anything like a jester, all knowing of life so that he doesn’t take anything personally, it is all gonna be okay in the end, the end is coming.

The Power of Anger: Why It's Important to Let Others Know When You're Fed Up

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Anger is a complex emotion that often carries negative connotations. Society encourages us to suppress our anger, labeling it as destructive or irrational. However, it's crucial to recognize that anger can be a valid and essential reaction in certain circumstances. In fact, not allowing yourself to be angry can have detrimental effects on your well-being and relationships. In this article, we will explore the importance of expressing anger and why letting others know when you're fed up can lead to positive outcomes.

Validating Your Feelings:

Anger is a natural response to situations that infringe upon our boundaries, values, or personal rights. It serves as a signal that something is not right and needs attention. By acknowledging and accepting your anger, you validate your feelings and affirm the importance of your own emotional well-being.

Preserving Boundaries:

Suppressing anger can result in complacency and a tendency to tolerate unacceptable behavior. When you don't express your frustration or let others know when you're fed up, you risk compromising your boundaries and allowing mistreatment to persist. Communicating your anger allows you to establish and maintain healthy limits, preventing others from overstepping or taking advantage of you.

Promoting Authenticity:

Expressing anger honestly and respectfully contributes to your authenticity. By openly communicating your emotions, you allow others to see your true self and gain insight into your needs and values. This transparency fosters genuine connections and promotes understanding between individuals.

Encouraging Accountability:

When you express your anger and let others know when you're fed up, you hold them accountable for their actions or behaviors. By clearly expressing your boundaries and dissatisfaction, you create an opportunity for dialogue and potential resolution. This communication encourages mutual respect, as it sets the expectation that everyone should be responsible for their actions and considerate of others' feelings.

Promoting Personal Growth:

Acknowledging and expressing anger in a constructive manner is a catalyst for personal growth. It allows you to understand your triggers, evaluate your reactions, and find healthier ways to address and manage conflicts. By effectively expressing your anger, you develop stronger emotional intelligence and improve your ability to navigate challenging situations in the future.

Conclusion:

Anger is an inherent part of the human experience, and it's essential to embrace and express it in a healthy and constructive manner. Suppressing anger can lead to adverse effects on your mental well-being and relationships, as it can result in compromised boundaries and a lack of accountability. By letting others know when you're fed up, you assert your needs, promote authenticity, and encourage growth, both for yourself and those around you. Remember, expressing anger is not a sign of weakness but a powerful tool for personal empowerment and positive change.

Understanding Emotional Responses: Choosing Peace in Relationships

In our interactions with others, we often find ourselves seeking a specific response or reaction. However, when our expectations are not met, it can lead to feelings of resentment and anger. It is essential to recognize these emotions and consider the circumstances before reacting impulsively, as our actions can escalate the situation further. In this article, we will explore the importance of empathy, boundaries, and self-reflection in managing emotional responses, fostering healthier relationships, and cultivating a sense of peace.

When someone does not respond promptly to a text message or fails to meet our expectations, it is vital to pause and consider their circumstances. Just like us, they have their own responsibilities, obligations, and priorities. Reflect on how it would feel to be bombarded with messages across various communication channels when you are already overwhelmed. Sometimes, individuals require space to recharge, focus on their tasks, and regain balance in their lives. By recognizing and respecting their need for personal space, we demonstrate empathy and a genuine concern for their well-being.

 

Respecting people's boundaries is an essential aspect of any healthy relationship. While it may be challenging at times, it is crucial to rationalize the situation and focus on our own well-being during moments of frustration. Rather than taking their delayed response personally, we must understand that their actions are not necessarily a reflection of their care for us. It is about honouring their needs and allowing them the space and time they require to fulfil their responsibilities. By respecting their boundaries, we demonstrate our understanding and support for their personal growth.

 

In addition to resentment and anger, it is not uncommon to experience anxiety about losing someone when our expectations are not met. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that these emotionally charged feelings often originate from our own thoughts and perceptions. It is important not to let our emotions control our reactions and, instead, allow space for healing and personal growth. Giving ourselves time alone can help us gain clarity, reestablish our routines, and recharge. Remember, personal growth and emotional well-being are not solely dependent on the responses we receive from others.

Much like responding to a barking dog, we should approach our emotions and relationships with a sense of calmness and reason. Reacting impulsively and adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate conflicts and strain relationships. Choosing peace means taking a step back, recognizing the emotions at play, and responding with patience and understanding. It takes practice to develop this skill and a deep understanding of the people we interact with. Building mutual respect requires effort and a willingness to consider the needs and boundaries of both parties. By fostering an environment of respect and empathy, we create the foundation for healthier, more fulfilling relationships.

 

In our quest for fulfilling relationships, it is important to manage our emotional responses effectively. When our expectations are not met, we may feel resentment, anger, or anxiety. However, by pausing to consider the circumstances, respecting boundaries, and engaging in self-reflection, we can choose peace over conflict. Understanding that our emotions are often influenced by our own thoughts and perceptions allows us to foster personal growth and provide space for healing. Ultimately, by nurturing relationships built on empathy, respect, and understanding, we create a harmonious environment where everyone can thrive. Remember, relationships are a two-way street—when we give respect, we receive it in return.

Prioritizing Self-Care: Maintaining Relationships While Maintaining Your Well-Being


Over the past few years, I have learned that maintaining relationships requires a significant amount of energy. Therefore, it's important to make time for ourselves to rest and focus on our own well-being. While spending time with loved ones is enjoyable, it can be draining.

To maintain good health, we must prioritize getting adequate sleep, eating well, taking vitamins, and keeping ourselves clean and presentable. Additionally, it's important to complete our work early to avoid stress. This requires the ability to say no to distractions and prioritize our own well-being without feeling guilty.

We are aware of what we need to do, and it's important to embrace discomfort and cultivate discipline. This includes working out regularly, saying no to distractions, and getting sufficient rest. It takes courage to prioritize our own well-being, but it earns the respect of others.

It's crucial to love ourselves enough to engage in positive behaviors and avoid self-destructive habits. This means investing in our fitness, healthy relationships, work, and leisure time. Self-awareness is also essential in knowing our limits and being able to prioritize our well-being.

Unleashing the Potential of Young Men: The Power of Positive Role Models, Emotional Intelligence, Creativity, and Stoicism - day 20 of writing everyday

As teachers, coaches, and mentors, we have a unique opportunity to help young men unleash their full potential and make positive contributions to their communities and society. To achieve this, we must prioritize the development of positive role models, emotional intelligence, creativity, and even Stoic philosophy in them.

Positive role models are critical in the development of young men. As teachers and coaches, we can model qualities such as integrity, kindness, and empathy to help them develop a strong sense of identity and purpose. We can also provide guidance and support to help them navigate the challenges of growing up. By serving as positive role models, we can help them develop the character and values they need to succeed in life.

Another essential factor in unleashing their potential is emotional intelligence. They are often taught to suppress their emotions or express them in unhealthy ways, which can lead to negative consequences such as anger, depression, and substance abuse. By teaching them to express their emotions in healthy ways, we can help them develop emotional intelligence, which involves the ability to identify, express, and regulate emotions in a healthy way. One effective way to nurture emotional intelligence is through journaling, which can help them process their emotions and develop coping mechanisms based on logic and reason rather than emotion.

Furthermore, creativity is another crucial factor in unleashing their potential. Creativity involves the ability to use unique talents and perspectives to create something new and valuable. As teachers, coaches, and mentors, we can encourage them to pursue their creative passions, whether that's through art, music, writing, or entrepreneurship. By providing opportunities for them to express themselves creatively, we can help them develop a sense of purpose and fulfillment, which can lead to positive contributions to their communities and society at large.

Finally, we can also draw on the wisdom of Stoicism, an ancient philosophy that emphasizes self-control, rationality, and virtue. As the Stoic philosopher Epictetus once said, "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." By teaching them Stoic principles such as the dichotomy of control and the importance of virtue, we can help them develop a resilient and virtuous mindset that will serve them well throughout their lives.

In conclusion, as teachers, coaches, and mentors, we have a responsibility to prioritize the development of positive role models, emotional intelligence, creativity, and even Stoicism in young men. By serving as positive role models, teaching emotional intelligence, encouraging creativity, and drawing on Stoic philosophy, we can help them unleash their full potential and make positive contributions to their communities and society. Let's invest in their potential and help them become the best versions of themselves.

Finding Calm in the Landscape and Joy in the City - Day 19 of Writing Everyday

a dog at the campsite me and my lovely friend stayed at earlier this week

Painting from the landscape is calming, being engulfed by it is intense but also comforting with all the greenery, nature is powerful. I spent a lot of time in landscapes this week, sitting and living on a hill in north Wales, driving through them on the motorway, seeing trees as I zoomed past them. But I don’t think anything can beat just sitting still in the landscape, being free from any reasonability’s, just letting yourself pause and take everything in. If I could prescribe this I would, but I’m no doctor, not yet.

 

But when you must return to a city, make sure you enjoy that too, there’s enjoyment to be had in all environments, yes it can seem way more fast paced and anxiety inducing but we can also pause in these places too. Go to coffee shops, talk to people, I enjoy having small chats with people around town all the time, meet business owners, everyone has a story and the more people you meet, the smaller and more village like a cities become. Everyone is a character, and everyone is much more interesting than you first think. Everyone’s a little bit silly once you get to know em, unless they’re uptight, then they can suck on my balls, but they wouldn’t cos they are too uptight.

day 18 of writing everyday

We must engage with people usually othered and be okay when we are called white, because if we are and we call others black or brown then why don’t we like being called white. If that is offensive to you, or makes you feel funny then take a step back and evaluate the world you are living in. it’s well easy to get offended easily if you have it easy because of your identity, even if you are working class or a massive prancing gay boy or something, you’ll still be better off than someone else. Everything is relative of course but what im trying to say is being offended gets you no where, like anyone being offended by anything. Is it ever valid? Probably, but is it a waste of time thinking about it, yes. Yes it is. If someone is a prick then you have every right to speak up but if you are just uncomfortable because you’ve never been challenged on something, but it’s not like proper dodgy to say, then pause bruh.

 

Yup this is a late night blog post.

Managing Emotions and Routines: Lessons in Resilience - day 17 of writing everyday

Have you ever felt angry after having a wonderful time? Why do you think this was? Does going back to your normal routine make you angry because you enjoyed the break? Think to yourself, why you keep up the habits you do, a lot of them are so you feel good in yourself, physically and mentally. We uphold the habits we take time to form so that we are able to enjoy our life more everyday, not just when we get the opportunity to go away to somewhere beautiful with our friends or family. There is pleasure to be had in the everyday.

The first ever supersonic ballistic missile, I saw this at The RAF Museum in Cosford. V-2 rocket.

 

Practicing gratefulness, for the smallest things we have. For the little things that help us tick over to the next day is important. Enjoying life everyday means to take pleasure in doing things that may feel like chores, just think about the reward you get after doing it, cleaning for example rewards you with a clean house, going to work rewards you with monetary compensation, we can use that to buy cool shit. Exercising rewards, us with better mobility, better strength and fitness, to be able to go on walks, lift stuff up without feeling the strain and look good doing it. It energises us.

 

After returning home from a lovely few days away in Wales with one of my best friends, I was feeling completely ballistic for a few minutes. It was an irrational anger, but I knew it was important to acknowledge and manage my emotions, as unchecked anger can lead to destructive behaviour, and I wasn’t about to let this stupid anger ruin what was a nice start to my week. I recognized that my fatigue from hours of driving and consuming caffeine had contributed to my emotional state. Even though being on holiday was a much-needed break from my routine, I knew I needed to get back into my regular habits and routines upon returning home to keep my emotions in check. In situations like this, resilience means being able to return to our routines even when we're thrown off-centre. I believe the military provides an excellent example of this kind of resilience, with everyday life being unpredictable but disciplined routines instilled in soldiers to help them navigate changing circumstances and maintain their emotional equilibrium.

 

In conclusion, it's important to acknowledge and manage our emotions, even when they may seem irrational or out of place, and to maintain daily routines and habits for our physical and mental well-being. We can find pleasure in the everyday by practicing gratefulness and taking pleasure in doing things that may feel like chores. Resilience means being able to return to our routines even when we're thrown off-centre, and the disciplined approach instilled in soldiers by the military can serve as an excellent example of this kind of resilience. By cultivating resilience and practicing gratitude, we can maintain emotional equilibrium and find joy in the small things, enabling us to live happier and more fulfilling lives.