my secret

i hate seeing depressed people. while i have my own bouts of depression too, they're usually shortlived (read: they disappear with a good night's sleep), i don't get people who claim there's nothing to life and everything seems to be consistently going against their way or whatnot. because that somehow never happens to me, or so it seems.

am i lucky? maybe.

but maybe i've simply learned how to game my luck.

the overarching principle is: be selfish. do what makes you happy, and that's it. sometimes, making someone happy makes you happier. that's cool too.

but then again, "be selfish about your happiness" is quite a fuzzy and wide-open principle to follow.

so here are a few things that i am selfish about, that work for me:

• keep your balance:
  
  predictability vs madness
  doing things you love vs things you hate but need to be done anyway
  entertainment vs rest
  staying in control vs letting go


• sleep well. on tight days, you can get by, but eventually, make up for it. for me, "eventually" means 4 days or less, and "sleep well" means 7 uninterrupted hours or more. 9, if i have a deficit, for as many days as it takes till i bounce back.


• figure out what refreshes you. don't be afraid to make mistakes in this regard (as long as you keep your balance, you should be okay). if you're doing everything you thought you like, but are still bored... you're doing it wrong! shake things up, and start again.


• stay connected to those you love. keep an in-person connection with atleast a few of them, because i've learned online or even the phone doesn't always work.


• keep some self-time. time to think. time to switch off from the bustle of life and the world around.


• take care of your health. your body can only take so much abuse. while i'm particularly notorious in this regard, i've found all the low points in my life coincide with physical inactivity and the messes it creates.


• have long term goals. but don't be too strict about them.


• enjoy the small things. i can't remember the last time a *big* thing made me truly happy. i've lost count of the beautiful sunsets and wet licks from puppies that have. and the things money can buy usually come last on my list.


• introspect. you won't know if you're doing better or worse unless you analyze yourself. helps figure what exactly is your balance, and how many liberties you can take with it :D


• finally, don't panic. never panic for any longer than you need to trigger the "fight or flight" response. every situation has its way out, and bad things usually look far worse than they are.

that's all i can think of, for now. and i don't even need follow all of these at any given time. life is *very* forgiving that way :)