“Me-time” – Think about your thoughts

The making of a person begins from the inside. The physical manifestations are projections of tiny pictures pieced together to create the perfect collage. Humans are wired in a way that  every voluntary action follows a thought-process. It is therefore not strange to hear people talking about “giving it a thought” or “sleeping over an issue”.  It is crazy how one can think about their thoughts. Right? Well, it is a concept known as meta-cognition. Here is the thing “thoughts together with genes make a man”!  This higher level of thinking is the reason for high level performance in advanced species including the supposedly super humans.  We do not necessarily become what we allow into our minds, but what we constantly play in our minds. It usually takes more than a second thought to convince ourselves that we have set out on the right path. I don’t always believe everything I think, so I think twice at least. “me-time” helped me realize that I needed to think about my thoughts more often.

I had just come home to spend the mid-term break (holidays) with my family as a third year student after a very tasking half term. There were assignments and crafts works waiting to be done. Most of all, I had a heap of dirty “it-was-white” clothes that direly needed my attention. The more I thought of how to face these tasks, the more I found myself considering other alternatives. I’d rather spend the 7-day holiday rummaging through the junks I haven’t seen in the last 13-weeks. I crossed the line when I decided to look through big-sister’s bookshelf! What I found was a life changer – a diary with a lock that one could easily mistake for Pandora’s box. To my disappointment, the diary was securely locked and there was no getting into the juice inside. Luck was on my side there was no one else at home.

After struggling to break into the secret life of my sister, it was time to give up. I decided to move on to other piles of book in the shelf when I discovered a tiny key; without doubt I knew it was the key for the diary. I dived into the diary – something I am thankful I did even though it came at the cost of being nosy.  Just like I thought, it was a treasure box!  Ada had penned down some lovely words of wisdom addressed to herself.  I made short work of the rest of the pile and returned to her bed with the diary, eager to digest every bit of it. Apparently, I only needed the first page to reshuffle my priorities. It was the first time I read the words of Frank Outlaw –“watch your thoughts, they become your words” you know the rest. Right below it was the poem “Little drops of water” by J.A. Carney! I was having a quiet time with my thoughts in what seemed like an out-of-body field.

I made a meal of both notes, there was no need rushing through them. It was like finally finding water after a long walk through a barren waste with no taste of water. I imagined it like water – soothing and coating the lining of my gut.  Those were all I needed to make the last 3-days of my holiday worth my while. I took my habit of critical thinking to a whole new level where I was able to reflect on my own thoughts. I was going to borrow a leaf from my elder sister and keep a diary of my activities and write myself notes of wisdom.  The only difference was I instead chose to keep a record of my thoughts – the most I could remember. The big question at the end of the day was “how did I get here”? “Why would I think of this”?

There was not a single thought that sipped through my mind that was not met with square scrutiny, neither was there any actions and results that did not have a share of reflection. The stone was set in motion, and I was becoming a near-perfectionist and consciously filtering what I fed my mind and eyes. That was the genesis of the self-administered therapy sessions that I now have on a regular basis – me-time.  More often than not, we find ourselves in the circle of our friends, that we almost forget what it feels like to be alone with our thoughts. How are we supposed to live life when we have made little or no time to think about life? No one is supposed to go through life without writing a recipe for him/herself with intentions of passing it down to the younger generations.  Do not let your circle of friends and daily task swamp your thoughts! Save your thoughts and think about them during your “me-time”.

When life gets tough and unbearable and dark thoughts start to climb through your ladder of hope, when it seems that you have been hanging on to the cliff longer than eternity that letting go seems to be an easier option, when the bad energy from friends and loved ones are constantly tearing you apart and you are forced to consider meeting their darkness with vengeance- stop and think! Reconsider your thoughts and evaluate the situation that may have caused you to have such thoughts. Don’t fold in! Go for a raise and give yourself that last winning chance.  Be able to create a corner for yourself in that tight corner and squeeze your thoughts in and through it! Every little time you invest in your thoughts, yields dividends with great returns. Pour yourself a glass of your favourite non-intoxicating drink, leave your favourite playlist on and get in that hot, foamy bath! Turn on your “me-time”, turn off the world and put on your thinking cap!

Unfortunately. I didn’t get to look through the rest of the diary, I know there was definitely more than I had found. Time was not a luxury! Ada hates it when people go through her stuff in her absence-especially Eze who has very destructive hands. I returned everything on the shelf to their original place. Except Pandora’s Box!  If I only I had reconsidered that thought, I would have had the opportunity of enjoying more life changing notes. That little treasure box found its way into the hands of someone who I suppose found the treasure I discovered in it too. It was stolen when I got back to school and I never got to apologise to Ada, besides she never asked. So I am writing this to apologise to her for going through her shelf stealing “Pandora’s box” and allowing someone else to steal it.

To stay winning, you must stay consistent in your positive efforts! Re-think and re-invent your thoughts. Do not let anyone or anything drive you crazy- stay in charge of your mind. A sound mind keeps a healthy body running. Get your daily dose of “me-time” to stay sane and focused.