Change your Perspective
The world is so much larger than our thoughts. I have noticed my thoughts are oftentimes repetitive and inaccurate, creating negative feedback loops that sabotage my efforts. A way I combat this is through changing my thought pattern.
Perspective is important to understand in order to obtain peace with life. Often, the remedy to anxiety, despair, and feelings of worthlessness is simply a change in perspective. I believe experiencing nature is good for clearing one’s mind precisely because it opens our minds to the world’s magnitude.
My sister and I walk down to the pond and feed the fish there multiple times a week. The fish are always eager for a snack and will gather around the dock to fight for the pellets. They simply glide through the water with ease and cheerfully come to the surface to grab food. I can’t help but relax when I watch them swim about. Recently, we spotted a fish who has a fishing hook stuck through its bottom lip. Nevertheless, it eats and swims with no trouble. I want to be more like the fish, who doesn’t give undue worry about things it can’t change. We all have a metaphorical hook in our life- something that brings us pain but that we can’t change. The best thing to do in that situation is to focus our energy outwards and change our perspective from the hook to the good things that still exist. Once we get out of our heads and focus on things outside of our usual thought pattern, we are able to ground ourselves in a more optimistic reality.
Surround Yourself with Art
I think this is also why I love art, movies, and books so much- they have the incredible power to shift your perspective! Putting yourself in a protagonist’s place can do wonders for boosting mental health. I recently came across the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver, and it is a beautiful reminder that wherever you are and whoever you are, you have a place in the world.
and with this knowledge, Grow
Humans have the incredible ability to adapt, change, and grow. We shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves, and instead, believe in our resilience. With a growth mindset, hope can be created, regardless of the hooks we may carry.
WILD GEESE- Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Dear College Introvert 