In a populated, noisy, and busy world I caught myself standing in the middle of the crowd trying to catch a breath. How can living be this hard to even breathe? Or rather, should I also put in my schedule to make time to breathe?

Pause.

I have read a few blog posts from well-known bloggers that I also follow that shared their experiences about blogging being unhealthy too. Just like social media, blogging not just a hobby for some but mostly a profession is a stressor and giving us pressure too to stay online and keep an update. That day came to me earlier this month. Before I posted my last update I have had a lot of ideas coming in and I started to list them down. After posting, I went blank.  I want to work on those ideas but I can’t compose something. I am frustrated that it’s nearly the end of the month and I only published one post. The silence is so loud that I wanted to do something about it. But I am reminded of the purpose of blogging. I am no expert in this field nor do I strive to live up with the expectations of people around me or the people reading this blog. It hurt my pride somehow hearing from people I also expect to cheer me on this, even to openly dissect my work and give me a better judgment. I then thought, maybe, this how the saying goes “less expectation, less disappointments.” But I want to give my best interest to what my readers would want to read. I am being subjective in most of my blog posts – I guess, all of them. I can be right, I can be wrong, I may have a point, and I may not have at all. I only live with my tagline as well, “to live to aspire and inspire.” Sounds cliché? While you are reading this, you probably question what is the point of this blog post and by the author [me] with all of these. The truth is, you will only retain the words I said that struck to you the most [only if there is], or the whole experience itself. But mostly you won’t remember most of what’s written here. It will only allow your brain to unlock a door of idea or experience or feelings that would create to your personal carnival to go around and discover. Just like reading a very good book you like and every moment written in it makes you feel like you are in a different world and living in it. I aim to be with you, my readers, for a moment how those doors were unlocked. I desire to inspire you with every post I publish and let you feel you are not getting through this world alone. You can feel living in a different world with another person’s experience or perspective as well.

Having these encounter and my mind being affected, I thought I was just being “suddenly” feeling uninspired to write, although there are moments. I tried to take a day or so to search for my inner self, and then went to binge-watching inspiring movies and video clips, to not doing anything at all, but all were just ideas. I have nothing to follow with it. I don’t want to just post something, just to post something. I would defeat the purpose of even starting this blog. I realized now, how it was like when I am cutting off social media every now and then. It allows me to breathe and just enjoy for a moment of breathing. The noise of the people’s approval and of what-should-I-be-posting was talking louder than to sit and enjoy the silence and peaceful mind. The deafening silence of not posting anything is chaos. Social media became another world for all of us. And I treat blogging [and others, vlogging also] as another world too. It is where people yearning to be touched, informed and hear out what they can offer or are good at. People with great and creative minds and emotional intelligence. Subjectively or objectively, this has become an avenue to improve a better society all around the world. Only then, may we all learn to always go back to the reason why we started being connected. And staying connected. To live in the real world as well and socialize. To learn to lessen our ears in pleasing people, waiting for their affirmation or approval. We all deserve to take a break without speaking or posting. Not letting people know that you are having a break or some time alone enjoying whatever you are doing at the moment. Having some time to take care of your mental health as well. You can also take the time to build up yourself in the process of silence when you find the courage to compose all at once the experiences you had during that break.

Let me share with you some of these great artworks of various local artists that opened an art bistro in the city, it is called, MAMUSA Art Bistro. Witnessing their opening, they mentioned that one of their desire or vision in putting up this art gallery is to also welcome other local artists and non-artists. I, personally, am not an art person or passionately into arts in painting. I can only appreciate much how great the works are of these artists. And this was my last resort of hope during my search for inspiration and within myself for fire. I allowed myself to discover something else aside from traveling maybe. Something new. And is beautiful. Tuning down the world’s demands and pressure I can see how theses paintings seemingly portray the real-time events in the world, or to me, or to the artist, or to what the artist wants to say.

One Last Sign by Darel Javier

Offered by Harry Mark Gonzales

If you are reading this and you feel like the world is moving faster than you, step back and take a breath. It won’t hurt that much. Stand your ground in what keeps you sane and sober to get through everything. Do not let the pressure of the society (both physically and virtually) eat you just because you also have to keep up with them. Live in the now rather than miss out other good things this life brings to you because you are too busy to keep up. Turn down the noise of yourself to please them, and the noise of the world saying “you need to be this and that, to have this or that.”More importantly, take care of yourself. Have a daily check-up of your heart, mind, and soul.

Live purposely y’all! <3

–

Featured image by Mark Nativo “Resurgence”