Flowing like nature

  • My last 65 hours in Bangkok: cultural identity and community

    I talk about  synchronicities, cultural identity, social cohesion, that feeling when you feel bad and you wanna escape, & gratitude.

    📍writing from nairobi, kenya

    Samakee. Samakee, meaning peaceful collaboration, was the first Thai word that I learned 3 years ago when I first moved to Bangkok. Since then I’ve made lifelong memories. I found my community, graduated high school, mastered the art of win motosais and ya doms, and ordered tangmoban everywhere I go.

    Thailand was the first time I lived outside of my cultural identity. Before going I knew very little about it, or at least that’s what I thought…

    Growing up I had a tradition of making a presentation about everything but especially for places I wanted to travel. In 2017 I made 2 presentations about Thailand. My presentation on March 22rd 2017 “Bangkok Thailand” focused on the capital, leaving no stone unturned: reporting on transport (slides dedicated to the BTS and MRT), weather, fun facts, AND a bibliography (11 year old Ara doesn’t play with plagiarism)…

    Fun fact: did you know Bangkok’s real name is the longest city name in the world? It also has the world’s biggest chinatown and largest gold Buddha statue – 11 year old me.

    My presentation on May 29th 2017, “Thailand or Russia” had a rather misleading title considering the only Russian spotlight was about the weather comparisons…Otherwise the entire presentation was about different Thai provinces. One thing that caught my eye was my features of Koh Samui and Phuket.

    I love synchronicities because I dreamed of Bangkok, Koh Samui, and Phuket in 2017, forgot about it, then ended up living in Thailand 4 years later. I even had one of my grad trips in Koh Samui and went on a family trip to Phuket. I’m so grateful to have lived my dream and enriched my soul. It funnily reminds me of how we get so fixated on something and feel like it’s life or death when we direct all of our energy into it. Then when we inevitably forget about it and open up our mind to the infinite possibilities, it sometimes does happen.

    I didn’t go to every city that I made a travel presentation on (yet), but I truly believe that coming to Thailand was meant for me. I learned so much living there and I am so thankful to have experienced it. There were times where I felt the worst, but there were also times where I felt infinite and on top of the world.

    Even though I lived there for 3 years (2 if you don’t count the year I was away at college), I found myself regretting not doing enough. Not learning enough Thai, not exploring enough of the country, not trying enough of the cuisine. This reminds me of the short-sighted nature of mankind where no matter how much we have obtained or achieved, it never seems to fulfil us.

    Lately I’ve been continuously learning the lesson of giving myself the grace to live slowly. There’s so much in our lives that rush us and make us feel like we’re not enough. Goals to achieve. People to see. Essays to write (this one is painfully real because I’m procrastinating my finals writing this as we speak). To be the best in some niche field because being ordinary isn’t enough.

    In truth there will always be goals and desires that we will reach and some that we don’t.

    You might be asking why I only had 65 hours in Bangkok.

    My family moved to Kenya and for logistical reasons I had to go back to Thailand first. The already short trip got even shorter because my flight home got cancelled.

    To be honest, in the moments of uncertainty not knowing whether or not I can go back to Thailand, I was scared. I tried to practice mindfulness and being open minded. Open to the possibility that I couldn’t say a proper goodbye. I told myself whatever the outcome, it would be the one meant for me. I’d love to say it cured my panic but I was still dazed. My mind wandered to existential questioning my existence mode:

    What is home? How immersed do I have to be in a culture to belong? Is it quantified by the number of years lived? Fluency of tongue? Solely based on ethnicity? If by blood, what does this make third culture kids? What of those who belong by blood but have never step foot in their motherland? Are they abandoning their roots by identifying with the foreign country they lived in their whole life? (…) I’m going to stop here with the questions because it might honestly catapult me into an identity crisis again.

    I don’t have the answers, but then again are there even axiomatic truths in life? I like to give meaning to things that otherwise could go meaningless. I feel like I’ve been having a ‘go go go’ mentality where I try to juggle a billion things while also trying to deepen my relationship with myself.

    I was saying yes to so many responsibilities that I was neglecting myself. I think that God was telling me to slow down. To breathe and take some of my own advice to go back to the basics. Within the past 2 weeks I’ve quit my second job, flight = cancelled, lost a family member, and went to the hospital for an acute fever. If that isn’t a sign to slow down I don’t know what is.

    I’ve also been catching myself spiralling in negative thoughts. One of my goals for 2025 is to reframe my negativity with positivity. To soften my inner critic and shower it with compassion instead. Thinking negatively has been a coping mechanism for my past self. By lowering my expectations and worrying about the future I felt like I could be better equipped to tackle the future.

    Loss has taught me that everything is temporary. As cliche as it sounds you really have to appreciate everything for what it is in the moment. I could choose to think about death and existentially contemplate everything about my life or I could think about new life and how I planted 2 trees a week ago. I could think about the wonderful communities I have. I could think about how I saw giraffes for the first time yesterday. I could think about all of the love and abundance that is present in my life everywhere I go.

    I found out I was moving to Thailand in one of the darkest periods of my life. Reading my journal entries when I was living in Korea makes me tear up to this day. One of the things I was struggling with was being comfortable in my skin. This was particularly challenging in Korea because it’s quite homogenous and it has conservative societal norms (it’s getting better but still). I’m extremely proud to be Korean American but it was pretty hard on my psyche being called racial slurs and made to feel like I didn’t belong in my own culture. Culture shock hit me hard especially with beauty standards where in the states everyone wanted to be tan and in Korea everyone wanted to be white.

    Paradoxically I also felt so loved. I reconnected with a childhood friend and she’s one of my best friends now. If I had never moved to Korea I wouldn’t have deepened that connection. I got to see my grandparents who raised me. I also felt like I connected with my cultural heritage in ways I hadn’t before. Moving to Korea was the first time I moved anywhere and thanks to this experience I learned so much. I feel like it was a necessary building block for me to enjoy Thailand more.

    Looking back I get reminded that no matter how much you want to escape how you feel, you simply can’t without running towards that very feeling.

    When I was living in the city the only thing I wanted to do was leave. Now I never wanted to go back more. Then I got to Korea and I hated it and grew fond of it at the same time. I desperately wanted to leave. Finding out about Thailand felt like a breath of fresh air. When I was in Bangkok I was dying to get to London. When I was in London last year I wanted to transfer and never look back. Now I love living in London and couldn’t imagine my university years anywhere else.

    Life’s all about perspective I guess. It teaches me to be grateful for what I have. Be where my feet are. There’s still so much I don’t know but I’m starting to like not knowing. I’m only 19 and have so much life to live. Thanks to all of my experiences I am me! I can choose to be bitter, or I can choose to be happy. There’s always gonna be a ‘problem’ in every moment of life but whether or not you let that problem be your life is up to you.

    Here’s all of the things I did with my ‘last’ 65 hours in Bangkok:

    • arrived and immediately ate Korean food with my brother
    • rode a gazillion win motosais
    • got lash extensions and won a lucky scratch of 300 baht off (shoutout to Bonnie lash BKK I love you forever)
    • Pondered why there’s so much English everywhere
    • Got boost (my order is an original strawberry squeeze)
    • Ate Jumbo seafood
    • went to an izakaya with Fame and yapped
    • Had dinners with friends (is it possible to not eat at a mall here…)
    • Had a cheeky night walk
    • Woke up on my last full day disgustingly ill and couldn’t move lol

    While there were many more things I wanted to do, I don’t want to take away from the fact that I accomplished a lot. There will always be time for me.

    Thanks for reading! You’re always welcome here x

    Thank you Thailand, until we meet again 🙂

    Love,

    Ara

  • 19 lessons I’ve learned (& continue to learn) at 19

    “Many of us seek community to escape the fear of being alone. Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving.” – Bell Hooks, All About Love.

    Welcome to flowing like nature! I am so grateful to have you here. Flowing like nature is an introspective diary revolving topics like art and expression, culture, health and wellness, identity and self-actualisation, politics, history, travel, the environment and sustainability, intersectionality, spirituality, mental health, education, feminism and diversity, community cohesion, linguistics, and so much more!

    These 19 lessons are central to how I live my life right now but like all things in life they are subject to change. I’ve gathered these based on my own experience and I say “continue to learn” because life is meant to be lived and we are continuously learning.

    This project is very close to my heart so I hope you enjoy :)<3 much love to you always!

    p.s. listen to the audio version of this on my podcast on Spotify “Flowing like nature”


    Lesson #1: Look within and love yourself

    Bell Hooks defines love as the willingness to extend one’s self for the purpose for nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth. Love is an intention and action.

    Your relationship with yourself is paramount. As humans we tend to look externally for solutions to our problems but I’ve found that we are almost always the missing piece that we were looking for. I’ve also observed that it’s in our nature to seek and thus create problems.

    Consequently, this leads us to never being satisfied and always chasing after the next best thing. In our age of mass media and globalisation it has become incredibly easy to doubt and hate your being because we have been trained to be trapped in a scarcity mindset where we feel like we are not enough.

    Yes, I do envision great success and milestones for myself but at the core of loving myself I’ve come to realise that to do so I must deeply understand my soul; learn about every inch whilst paradoxically letting go of the impulse to control, to know everything. It means to radically accept who I am in this present moment, despite it all.

    Self-compassion is at the core of the art of loving. It is the opposite of self-criticism. By giving ourselves grace to maneuver through life with our flaws we can ease external and self-imposed pressure off of our backs. To be transparent, self-compassion is an aspect that I struggle with. I’ve noticed that in our generation it’s easier to unconditionally love others than to love yourself. Self-compassion has 3 components: kindness, forgiveness, and common humanity.

    Kindness is treating yourself with love and care, even and especially in moments of weakness. It’s understanding that shame stems from the innate desire to be loved. Without wanting love, we wouldn’t feel shame. It’s human nature to seek connection and the intimacy to be known so don’t shame yourself for wanting it.

    Be kind to your mind. Be proud of your accomplishments. When you achieve a milestone, sit in it! Don’t think of the next thing on your to-do list but rather let yourself enjoy the moment that you’ve worked so hard for. You don’t need to fully figure everything out to be loved because others can love you even when you don’t feel like you love yourself. However, I think that your self-concept shapes how you able to receive love. If you think that you don’t deserve love, naturally you won’t accept it. You may mistake maltreatment for love because subconsciously you think you don’t deserve authentic love.

    It’s okay to feel yourself changing and acting in ways that you don’t believe align with your values and desires. We are not perfect and life is seasonal. You cannot hate yourself into loving yourself. Forgive yourself for your past and not let it determine your future.

    If your internal environment is hostile it will affect your perception of life. The world is cruel but that doesn’t mean you have to be cruel. By making the conscious decision to keep your heart open, you can be free. Just because we were hurt once doesn’t mean we will get hurt forever. By closing our hearts we let that traumatic event be the end of our story. If we close our hearts we may truly never feel the lightness of being.

    The idea of common humanity is closely linked with sonder. Sonder is the realisation that everyone has a life as complex as one’s own. When we feel strong emotions it’s easy to feel lonely but sonder reminds me that everything is part of the human experience. Struggling shouldn’t be seen as weak because everyone goes through it. It’s simply another cycle in life.

    I think that trying to love yourself is proof that you already do. Desires are placed in our hearts for a reason because we are already capable of them. Keep showing up for yourself. Our souls are limitless but our minds tend to seed doubt. Your mindset is so powerful. Humans tend to be short-sighted and we only see what is right in front of us and neglect the big picture. When we build the foundation of our self-concept on inalienable notions instead of external circumstances, we can stay calm and peaceful amidst the storm.

    There will always be a situation that you think you won’t be able to overcome and the beauty of life is that you always do.

    Lesson #2: Change is inevitable; embrace it or take action

    Connect back with yourself. You already know how, you just have to look within.

    I continue changing. I change like the seasons. I change with them.

    I love planning. The pinterest and spotify combo is lowkey lethal. I, like many humans, get upset when things don’t pan out the way I visualised in my mind. There’s nothing wrong with planning but it can become harmful when you get attached to a specific process or outcome without being open to change.

    There are endless ways to grow and reach the same destination. How that process looks is uniquely yours. I see change in two forms:

    1. Change is the natural flow of life

    This side of change is akin to nature where we don’t have to do anything to initiate change. Seasons change. Your emotions change. The sun will rise whether you like it or not.

    1. The change unique and relevant to the individual: nothing will change until you do

    We must consistently choose to take action instead of accepting a passive role in our lives. Are you living or existing? Those are two completely different things. Thought presupposes action but to become something you have to utilise both.

    Dreaming of change won’t engender change in your life nor does doing something once build a skill. Consistency is everything. Growth is not linear.

    Sometimes we need to grow horizontally to grow vertically. This means that we may have to return to areas of our lives that we have previously neglected or feel that we have mastered. Growth doesn’t always have to look like a focusing on one single area until you ‘master’ it. This doesn’t mean that you are stagnant but rather that you must be patient and mindful. Oftentimes by detaching from a specific narrative you make room for possibilities you didn’t know could exist.

    Only seeing life in a one-dimensional lens does not bare fruit. At the end of the day you have to trust the process and believe that no matter what you will be okay.

    It’s also never too late to change. Society’s negative connotations of aging places pressure to figure everything out but when you take a step back you will realise how far you have come and the abundance of greatness that is already present in your life.

    We can always reset and be reborn. Everything is temporary. Regardless of how strong an emotion can feel, no matter how much we cling onto situations or people. You can choose to see this truth negatively or positively.

    In my experience it teaches me to appreciate everything. Change teaches me to be where my feet are. You give your life meaning. No one’s life will look identical to yours so comparison is pointless.

    Resisting the flow of life (aka change) will perpetuate a harmful cycle. Whenever I painstakingly cling onto fleeting moments I’ve found that life teaches me to open my heart. To be receptive to endless possibilities. This isn’t to say don’t plan or want nothing, but that we shouldn’t get consumed by the minute details.

    Life is not all or nothing. It is the myriad of the in between.

    Outgrowing circumstances or people also doesn’t take away its previous value. What was relevant at one point of your life still holds meaning, it just might not be what your current or future self needs anymore. You don’t have to cherish someone forever for that relationship to be meaningful. It meant something at one point. It taught you something about yourself at one point. That’s enough.

    Lesson #3: Balance is the key to life

    Life can be polarising. To hold equilibrium it’s about balance. ‘Tao,’ the way; the in between. Blessing and suffering. Faith and doubt. Loss and life. Truth and Deceit.

    Balance becomes most apparent for me when I’m at a crossroad. For example, with 2 conflicting philosophies that I can apply for a predicament. On one hand, I could intellectualise my emotions trying to find the root cause. Believing that my feelings are signaling something deeper. Contrastingly, I could exert the belief that I shouldn’t attach a narrative to my emotions, for emotions are neutral. Instead, I simply let myself feel and be.

    Finding balance is a lifelong process. It requires experimentation and determining what suits you. It is in our hands. We can’t ask someone else to place the balancing point in our own lives and vice versa.

    Although solitude is essential, I find that we cannot learn in isolation. A textbook or another person can’t tell you how to feel. Another facet of learning is through our interaction with our environment.

    Balance has taught me to take the present moment at face value. It’s easy to succumb to limiting beliefs where in the pits of our suffering we think it’ll last forever. I’ve observed that I grow the most through suffering. If you wish to be patient, there might be a pestering situation that teaches us to use that muscle, to become patient.

    Through the trials and tribulations of life, it has mobilised me to embrace everything and trust that it will work out. In moments of a lost sense of self, I am reborn.

    Lesson #4: Education is power

    We are all lifelong learners.

    I highly value growth-oriented mindsets. To live and learn. Enrich your soul by learning something new everyday; for there is always something. Art to appreciate or create; languages to learn; places to go; hobbies to try.

    No matter how much we isolate, we also need connection and community. It takes humility to surrender and admit that you do not know everything. There is always something that we can learn from another.

    A self-serving mindset stemming from ego and pride will never have an open heart. At the end of the day, humans are merely one of the many species that co-habit earth. We are not so individual or superior to the point that we should forget community. We are part of something bigger. Do not limit yourself to infinite channels of learning just because of your fear of being judged or rejected.

    I see life as spirals. As we grow we continuously encounter the same lessons. However, its resonance and way of which it manifests in that moment looks different. It’s a means to learning more about ourselves.

    It can be frustrating to re-learn things when you feel like you surpassed it and want to enter the ‘next step,’ but everything has its balancing purpose. The beauty of life is that we will never fully know anything, there is always room for growth.

    I find that when we try to avoid learning a lesson, like a siren it will blare and scream until you decide to acknowledge it.

    It might be breaking your heart but it’s also clearing your vision; guiding you back to yourself; reminding you of your strength; aligning you with your true desires; raising your standards. Perhaps you needed to learn that lesson tenfold to deepen your understanding of your soul. Sometimes our hearts take longer than our minds.

    The past can teach you many things but ruminating on it won’t change anything but brew self-criticism which disrupts your learning. Maybe in one moment I needed to learn to put myself first but in another I need to learn to be selfless. Life isn’t an axiomatic truth. There isn’t a ‘right’ way to live.

    Stay curious. Be willing to learn and everything else will follow.

    Lesson #5: Let go and forgive

    Apologise for your mistakes, not your feelings. Don’t hold anger, resentment, disdain, or disgust. Embrace change. When we hold onto grudges and difficult emotions it will only get stored within us and harder to release. Let it be easy and simple. It’s already inside of you, you just have to open the door of your heart from the inside to let the light in. Only then can you be set free.

    Refusing to forgive is identifying that person as their mistake; not letting them change and grow. This isn’t to invalidate your experiences because if it hurt you, it hurt you. Nonetheless it is important to let go of a victim mindset and reflect on your role in the situation. Characterizing others as ‘bad’ and yourself as only ‘good’ removes your responsibility.

    In reality, perception is subjective. Forgive yourself for your mistakes but also extend the favour and forgive others. Let them be their own person while you be your own. Practice humility to realise that no matter the intention, sometimes we do hurt others. Instead of becoming defensive when someone approaches you about your actions, have an open mind.

    You also NEED to forgive yourself. Observe, don’t absorb.

    When we get consumed by our emotions it affects how we live our lives. We start to identify with negative thoughts. For instance, instead of thinking you made a mistake, you see yourself as a failure.

    Forgive yourself for not knowing better. But also sometimes even when we do know better we self-sabotage. Know that that’s okay. By punishing yourself for your past it doesn’t add time nor change the way life is. It doesn’t define who you are.

    We are all uniquely ourselves so there’s no need to shame ourselves for being at a different pace compared to others. We can share cultures, experiences, or interests but ultimately I am who I am and you are who you are.

    Every mistake and success has led me to this very moment and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them.

    There’s no such thing as ‘should’ve’ because the past already happened and that implies there’s a level of wrong in what happened. Surrender to life and what is happening right now. Acknowledge how you feel but don’t let your temporary things dictate your life. You have so much more power than you think.

    If we weren’t taught how to emotionally regulate or how to love, it’s natural to not know how. Everyone has different starting points. Give yourself grace. Life is unpredictable.

    Lesson #6: Nothing is personal

    It’s not your fault. The way others treat you doesn’t correlate to how much you love yourself or your value. People will treat you how they want to treat you.

    You attract whoever wants to come into your life, it isn’t based on how much you love yourself. We can’t prevent people from hurting us because we can’t control another’s actions.

    Oftentimes it is also a projection of how they feel about themselves. For some, discomfort in self will cause them to act cruelly. Perhaps someone who is insecure will be triggered when they see another being authentically themselves. This can come from pride and ego where by putting others down it will make them feel better.

    Other people’s opinions don’t strip away your inherent worth. That doesn’t mean what they’re saying is true. Sometimes bad things happen and we don’t have an answer for it.

    Harsh truths can exist when our loved ones put themselves in dangerous situations and we want to save them from suffering. I find that when people self-sabotage it isn’t because they love it but that there’s an underlying reason. We cannot take on other people’s pain. If we get completely immersed in another’s pain, who will take care of you?

    Even in frustrating moments we can be loving. It can be frustrating to see someone we love continuously degrade themselves, but you can’t force someone to change. You can’t force them into consciousness. They have to do that themselves. We can only be truly accountable for ourselves.

    Lesson #7: There is power in vulnerability, communicate!

    To be vulnerable is to love and to love is to be vulnerable.

    When we are affected by someone’s actions and we stay silent, it only harms us. If you never communicate how you feel it isn’t the other’s responsibility to read your mind. We must shed fear and be vulnerable through communication.

    Be open about your emotions. When we close our hearts to avoid vulnerability we don’t allow ourselves to experience life. As a result we will only feel detached from our true self.

    Communication engenders harmony. Without compassionate understanding we wouldn’t thrive and learn from our mistakes. Communication resolves conflicts and mitigates them too.

    There is power in sharing your story. By sharing parts of ourselves we learn more about each other and inevitably learn more about ourselves. You may think you’re alone but by being vulnerable it may compel someone else to share their story.

    Lesson #8: Be soft on the person, hard on the problem

    Lead with courage, self-trust, and compassion.

    Firmly set your boundaries and respect yourself but be receptive to another’s perspective. Boundaries won’t remove suffering but it can change how you let the situation affect you. Be stern on what you allow and keep in your life but know that you can communicate your boundaries in a humanising way.

    It’s not your fault when bad things happen. When people with soft boundaries get hurt, their boundaries are not the problem. The problem is that the world is cruel. In light of this, moving forward you can choose to avoid unfavourable situations or end toxic relationships that may lead to further complications.

    It isn’t because we are flawed or don’t love ourselves enough.

    We don’t always have all of the facts. You never know what someone is going through. People can be cruel but doesn’t mean that you should retaliate by being equally cruel. Listening with intention to understand is key. Don’t listen with intent to gain or convince the other person that you are right. By refusing to learn about another perspective you can further perpetuate the cycle.

    Sometimes the best so-called revenge is to be the bigger person and move on. Have compassion for others but not without filling your own cup. If you solely think of others without ever attending to your own needs your cup will run dry.

    Lesson #9: Do not judge and do not make assumptions

    I’ve found that being critical of others stems from self-criticism and fears. Ask yourself, why are you judging someone else for trying to live their life? How they live might not be how you would live but why does that matter when you are not them?

    I don’t think that cringe really exists. It isn’t embarrassing to have opinions or try. It isn’t cringe to live life how you want to live it. By judging we are actively placing ourselves above others.

    Judging teaches that it isn’t safe to be authentic. It teaches one to conform to societal norms and standards (which by the way trends come and go). Judging someone for liking something or not knowing something is pointless because at one point you didn’t know either and you don’t like everything.

    The world would be a dull place if everyone had the same opinion and liked the same thing.

    You don’t have to know everything to form an opinion but I think it’s about being open to changing your mind. Making one opinion in one moment isn’t the end. Have the humility to acknowledge your shortcomings and embrace them instead.

    You don’t need to try all of the chocolate in the world to know you don’t like chocolate but jumping to conclusions and festering hate over assumptions is dangerous. It is especially harmful when you don’t communicate.

    Instead of making assumptions, communicate how you feel and clear the air. In times where communication may not feel favourable, accept the fact that you don’t have to have closure to move on. Silence and their actions can be closure in itself.

    Lesson #10: Validate yourself and others

    A chronic desire for validation stems from feeling that a form of connection is missing and trying to fill that but then failing because of environmental factors. Eventually with constant invalidation we don’t need a traumatic situation, we become our own critic.

    It’s okay to want more. More love, more money, more success, more connection. It isn’t greedy nor is it insatiable. I think it becomes an issue when we tie our worth to them – this idea that if we achieve that one thing, then we will be enough.

    The truth is you are enough just for being who you are. You already have all of the tools within you to love and fulfill yourself. Seeking validation on external factors will never satisfy you because they will eventually cease. By deeply knowing yourself and what is true to you, regardless of your environment you won’t be affected.

    You feeling it in your body is enough for it to be valid. Don’t shame yourself for feeling. Life can get loud and slip ups happen. Avoiding processing emotions out of fear for undoing progress is arbitrary because it won’t heal you any faster.

    Life is not a race. Success is entirely subjective and defined by the parameters that you choose. I feel successful when I validate myself and others.

    It’s easy to blame yourself. Blaming yourself discredits how you feel and immediately catapults you into a problem solving mode. It’s incredibly invalidating because it encourages the thinking: “if it’s my fault then i can fix it, it’s in my control.”

    I found that it’s easier to blame myself during painful situations because placing the responsibility onto myself makes it something tangible that I can work with. Then I can start to heal because I identified what I needed to heal from and I decided that there’s something wrong with me.

    Yes, sometimes we are responsible for painful experiences, but I’ve noticed that more often than not we blame ourselves for circumstances that are out of our control. Sometimes life is so cryptic that we can’t make sense of it.

    What are you trying to gain through that sense of control? Why do you have strong urges to do so? Being mindful of what is fueling that urge to seek validation can perhaps help us understand our behaviour.

    In moments of conflict, you have to regulate your emotions and check yourself first. You can’t validate others if you don’t validate yourself. Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to not validate another person when you feel overwhelmed.

    Lesson #11: Give and give without expectations

    The art of giving has become lost because of its increasingly transactional nature.

    Volunteer your time. Donate unused items. Giving doesn’t always have to be monetary. It can be us giving our time to a cause we believe in or to be there for someone we care about.

    For me, giving without expectations is giving just for the sake of giving. It comes from the abundance of your heart and not from thinking about what you can gain.

    Be open to receiving but don’t always expect it.

    Lesson #12: Be impeccable with your word

    Express your truth. Be intentional with your speech. Pay attention to your self talk and how you speak of and to others.

    If you are constantly scrutinising yourself, should you really be surprised that you have low self-esteem? If you are constantly criticising others what should stop others from criticising you?

    You are not your thoughts, you are the conscious being who listens. You don’t have to put action behind every thought you think. Only you hold the power of saying “I am” and refer to yourself.

    There is power in taking your time to speak and being intentional with your words. At the same time, don’t shame yourself for not articulating yourself in a way you wanted to be perceived. If you know who you truly are, other people’s opinions don’t matter.

    Being impeccable with your word also means building self-trust. If you never keep the promises you make to yourself you feel confident about your decisions. Building self-trust doesn’t mean forcing yourself to complete your to-do list. I think it largely involves listening to your body and being intentional. If you don’t achieve something, give yourself grace and try again.

    You can build trust in small consistent steps. For example, never snooze your alarm. Give yourself weekly and monthly commitments. Set ONE intention a day. Also make sure to celebrate your wins, no matter how big or small.

    Being intentional with your words also incorporates the balance of time and place. Words are a double-edged sword where the right words at the wrong time can deepen the wound.

    When our loved ones are hurting and we force a logical approach or act critically-as if we are immune to pain and acting like we would never be in that situation is apathetic. It comes from pride and ego because it’s convenient to tell the hurting person that they just need to move on and get over it. Saying “you should’ve known better” does not come from love.

    Empathise. Comfort and sit with them in their hurt. Support them.

    Lesson #13: Go back to the basics

    It’s all about the simple things in life. Seek a slow life.

    I’ve noticed that the root of disturbances can also be because of an imbalance of the fundamentals of life; all types of rest, balanced diet, sunlight, movement, and connection.

    Rest isn’t just about physically resting with sleep. Physical rest also involves stretching and mindful breathing to restore your body.

    Mental rest is slowing down and taking breaks for clarity. Calm yourself.

    Emotional rest is validating yourself and checking in with your emotions. It’s about freely expressing yourself and releasing the stress of unhealed emotions.

    Sensory rest is reconnecting with nature and going offline. Being still and savouring the silence.

    Social rest is being with loved ones but also enjoying solitude. Distance yourself from draining relationships.

    Creative rest can be trying something new, fueling your passions, and letting your artistic self shine. It is to feel inspired.

    Spiritual rest is connecting with your belief system. This can be through meditation, prayer; essentially finding peace and purpose.

    Lesson #14: Do it scared but also listen to your body

    When you find yourself in a predicament ask yourself if your doubts are rooted in irrational or rational fear. Fear is a neutral emotion that protects us that we have given negative connotations to.

    It derives from our survival instincts. Fight or flight. We have evolved from always needing fear to survive but I’ve noticed that there has become an overwhelming presence of fear in our daily lives.

    Depending on our mental or physical environment fear can be what blocks us from moving forward. Giving up before the final push because of limiting beliefs.

    It’s essential to listen to your body and let fear protect you from harm whilst also putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. Ultimately it’s about trusting that you made the right choice and moving on.

    Life is for you, not against you.

    Lesson #15: Be mindful of who you surround yourself with

    There are places you haven’t been where you already belong. I love talking about Dunbar’s number theory.

    He hypothesised that there is a cognitive limit to the number of people whom we can maintain a stable relationship with. It ranges from having 150 connections down to 5 close friends.

    I love talking about this theory because it alludes to how people getting removed from your life is simply making room for someone else.

    It also reiterates the idea of quality over quantity. The people who you actively choose are important. They can be the people who steer you towards growth or the ones who keep you stagnant.

    It’s okay to grow apart. That doesn’t mean we have to dramatically sever ties or speak badly of someone who once meant a lot to us. Sometimes people come into our lives to teach us a lesson to learn about ourselves (or just leave us with a good song lol).

    Don’t excuse harmful behaviour because of one good deed or the amount of time spent together.

    Also observe who others surround themselves with. People say you are who you surround yourself with for a reason.

    Lesson #16: Make time for the things you love. Slow down.

    Time is an illusion. Live a slow life.

    I love art and I always have. Growing up it was prominent in every facet of my life but as I got older I felt disconnected from my creative side.

    I was trapped in a cycle of dreaming about art → feeling burnt out and exhausted from an overload of responsibilities → needing rest → resting in “unproductive” ways (e.g. doomscrolling) → guilting myself for resting when I could be practicing art …and the cycle continues.

    I told myself I didn’t have time because of the million other things I was doing. Then my mind wouldn’t let me rest by thinking about the endless other things I could be doing instead or need to do in the future.

    Rest is incredibly important and vital to humans. At the same time, everyday is a new start. If you don’t make time now you probably never will.

    The only concept of time that truly exists is the present. Not the past nor the future.

    Create the habit to do it. Your mind is so powerful! You can challenge the limiting beliefs of having time poverty today. Right now.

    Start small, one at a time! There’s no rush. Perhaps you can wake up a little earlier to do that morning ritual. Maybe you can replace doomscrolling by reading one page at night.

    Our capitalistic society conditions us to believe that we’re running out of time and to maximise every channel of our lives.

    The truth is you are what makes your life special, not what you can do or be. Good things also take time.

    How we measure time is entirely up to us. One may think spending a few hours on something is too slow but to another it could appear as fast.

    Learn to value the process more than the outcome. I think it’s also important to have hobbies that you do not monetise. Monetizing everything can add pressure to modify your craft to be more appealing to others.

    Slowing down also looks like lifting certain expectations or responsibilities from our plates. It’s great to be ambitious and strive for the best but also realise that you are a human being, not a machine.

    It is well in moderation. A hyper-focus on self-improvement can also be harmful because you’re not letting yourself just be. Move in love and be willing today.

    Lesson #17: Always try your best

    The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you try your best.

    Avoid blaming yourself for circumstances out of your control. Maybe you needed that hard moment to be the catalyst for change. Solely trying to learn in controlled environments will do nothing but restrict us.

    You don’t have to suddenly achieve all of your wildest dreams to the fullest, but it’s crucial that you try. We may not think we can achieve something but then we try and we do.

    By trying you are getting closer to your goal. By trying you learn more about yourself.

    No matter what we can always learn from an experience; good or bad. If the outcome was ‘bad’ you learned that it wasn’t meant for you. That’s not a waste because now you know!

    If you never try you will never know. The key is to try and keep trying. Then you have lived.

    Lesson #18: Be what you desire

    You are the missing piece that you were searching for.

    If you want kindness in your life, be kind. If you want love, be loving. Everything is made up of energy and what you focus on inevitably becomes your worldview and part of your belief system.

    We have autonomy in our actions. You can choose to scrutinise yourself; telling yourself you can never do that or you’re not worthy.

    Alternatively, you can give yourself a pep talk and build your confidence.

    The choice is in your hands.

    Lesson #19: BE GRATEFUL!!!!!

    Gratitude is an underlying theme in all of these lessons. I first encountered gratitude in 3rd grade where my teacher had us write in gratitude journals.

    We would also receive a random act of kindness and get challenged to pass it on to a stranger. Thus creating a ripple effect.

    Starting my day by thinking about what I’m grateful for has changed my life.

    Exclusively focusing on what you lack will cause you to concentrate on the negative aspects of your life.

    By practicing gratitude it doesn’t eliminate all doubt or fear, but it does give them less power. There is so much to be grateful for.

    You gain everything by maintaining an optimistic mindset. However, building your life on negativity, you can lose everything.

    And…that’s a wrap! All 19 lessons. Thank you so much for tuning in, your support means everything to me!

    To get more content like this you can subscribe to this website where I post written articles or follow my podcast ‘Flowing like nature’ to listen to them.

    Much love,

    Ara