We all experience days where we feel tired, drained, mentally exhausted and if that’s not enough you have to balance work and your personal life and sometimes it becomes too much to deal with. You need to find ways to deal with these emotions whether it is meditation, dancing, hanging out with friends and family or just having someone to talk to. I found talking to someone much more beneficial as it relieves some of the stress and tension I have built up inside. In doing so I always find the person that I know would intentionally pay attention to what I have to say. You know, just being able to talk about anything and everything without feeling judged or sympathy. It is an important tool for a listener, and for your mental health. Yes, some people might think it’s a sign of weakness when you express your feelings. I think it shows how much strength you have because it takes a lot to be able to say I’m not okay and I need to talk about what is going on in my mind and life.
I speak from personal experience, I always found it hard to open up about my feelings and what I am dealing with. I have lived like this for a long time without showing my friends, family and colleagues how much I am hurting. Not realising that all these built up feelings made me so angry, I constantly felt tired and not in the mood for people but once I discovered the beauty of having someone that just listens, it opened my mind and made me more light hearted. I encourage you to explore this and who knows it might be what you have been looking for. From this experience I also realized that I can become that listener to my friends and family knowing that sometimes when they talk to me they might not want any advice but just someone who would listen. I like the quote from Richard Moss “The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention”.
by Audery February
