Tag: hope

Inspiring Hope in Recovery

Posted on by andrew

Elizaveta Garifullina, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Can we influence the recovery process? Undoubtedly, we can. Our faith and our thoughts can worsen our health or improve it.

 

Many diseases can appear because of our psychosomatics. Many people believe that diseases are a factor in us doing something wrong. It may seem complicated, but the great thing is that we can also positively impact our health. If we have strong faith in our recovery, we can accelerate the process of healing. 

 

Just imagine one person constantly saying that he will never be rich in his life, and the second person is sure that his fortune will be abundant and he will build his own profitable business. Who will be more successful? The answer comes to mind almost immediately, of course, the second person, because the first one sabotages his success. 

 

It is the same with health. Two people may have the same health condition. They are given the same medications; they follow the same routine. But the first person is sure that his health is too bad and he will not recover, and the second not only believes and hopes but also knows that he will recover. This person has decided that he will recover; he has no doubts or anxiety. Anxiety will only worsen your health; it never helps anything.

 

I want to give an example of the story “The Last Leaf” by the excellent writer William Sydney Porter, known to the world under the pseudonym O. Henry. Two girls settled in an apartment, organizing a tiny painting studio there. One of the girls is seriously ill; she was diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctor fears for the girl’s life as Jonesy prepares to die. She decided that as soon as the last leaf fell from the ivy outside the window, the final minute of her life would come.

 

A strong wind with rain and snow rages outside all night, mercilessly tearing the leaves from the old ivy, which means that the girl does not have long to live. When Jonesy asks her friend to open the curtains in the morning, she sees that a yellow-green leaf is still holding on to the ivy stalk. And on the second and the third day, it still holds on and does not want to fly away.

 

Then Jonesy finds hope, believing it is too early for her to die because such a small leaf was kept there, despite the strong wind. So she can handle it. The doctor then tells the girl that the disease has receded and Jonesy’s health was on the mend. Only later do we find out that this leaf was painted by an old artist who sacrificed his life and went out at night in such weather to save the girl by painting his masterpiece. 

 

Sometimes all the pills in the world are powerless if a person is sure that the disease is more potent than him. But if a person has hope and faith, medicines will be a thousand times more effective. 

 

Faith, confidence, and calmness are reflected in our brain activity, which leads to a healthy mind and, as a result, a healthy body. A healthy brain performs many critical mental functions simultaneously, producing a large number of waves of brain activity of different frequencies reflecting these functions.

 

With today’s stressful lifestyle, we often show increased beta activity. Many are looking for ways to produce alpha waves – peaceful existence and relaxation to overcome this negativity. When we raise our alpha and theta (including mu) activity through constructive processes – meditations, exercises, through audio-visual stimulation, we achieve changes in the state of consciousness or “alpha activity.” We must learn how to produce alpha waves on a daily basis through meditation or other tools.

 

When the frequency of brain waves slows down, we plunge into the depths of the subconscious. The higher the frequency of brain waves, the more active the consciousness and the more attention we pay to the outside world, which is not always a good thing.

 

Remember that our mind can be a cure.

 

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Leave your thoughts for Elizaveta in the comments below — better yet, start up a dialogue with the Low Entropy community in person at a Conscious Connections meeting or online at our community site. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to stay up-to-date with Low Entropy news!

Ordinary Everydays

Posted on by andrew

Cecilia Watt (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

It’s easy to find hope and inspiration in big things, isn’t it? This year, Canada watched snowboarder Max Parrot win gold and bronze at the Olympics, and while that was inspiring in itself, the inspiration was increased tenfold by the fact that he accomplished this only a few years after being diagnosed with cancer. Big moments of inspiration like this are wonderful and necessary for the human spirit, but they often make our own lives feel small, ordinary and lacking. Add in the listlessness that came with the pandemic and you can’t help but ask yourself, “What could be so inspiring about my normal, everyday life?” I think that you can find hope in the goodness in the world and the inspiration to be a part of it as a part of an “ordinary” everyday life. If the past few years have taught me anything, it’s that the chance to live ordinary things is the most extraordinary chance we’re given.

 

In 2020, I graduated university during the first wave of the pandemic. There was no ceremony at school, so my friends and I made our own before we had to separate in March. With paper diplomas, graduation music played on YouTube, dresses, heels and four years’ worth of tears, we went our separate ways, not knowing when we’d see each other again. I had lost my dad three months before, and would lose my grandma to COVID-19 one month after the day of our goodbye ceremony. The grief of my loved ones, my former life and who I used to be consumed me, and after months of numbness, I decided to be consumed by something else: a job at a domestic violence shelter.

 

In the year I worked there I found inspiration from people living everyday lives, in spite of experiencing the worst the world had to offer. I laughed — really laughed — with the women I met, so hard that it hurt my stomach. They teased me when I (allegedly) couldn’t whisk an egg properly in the kitchen. We celebrated every holiday together, and we celebrated not having the energy to participate in holidays together too. I helped a client beat a level of Fishdom every day when I had a minute, and another client taught me about Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (who knew he and Mark Wahlberg were one and the same?). One taught me about diamond art, and another gave me her colouring pages when she was done with them, as a gift. They brought me back to life simply by allowing me to be a part of their ordinary lives. Of course, there were many moments of pain and hopelessness. Those moments reinforced to me how lucky we were to live the good ones together.

 

I went sledding with the children of the shelter one snowy day, and I can safely say that it was one of the best days of all our lives. These kids had lived through the unspeakable, and all of us staff who went with them were weighed down by that knowledge and our own lives. But that day? That day, they just got to be kids — and so did we. We crashed in the snow, flew off our sleds and raced each other, and not a single one of us wanted to leave. Another ordinary day, another extraordinary moment.

 

I’ve been told by family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances that the way I handled my grief was an inspiration to them. I’m still not sure how I feel about that: all I did was my best, and it usually felt like my worst. The reason I could do my best is because of the peace and hope I found in the daily things that we’re taught aren’t noteworthy.

 

In the fall of 2021 I moved to Vancouver, reuniting with three of those friends with whom I had “graduated” on their rickety, student house staircase. I decided it was time to leave my hometown and try something new, before going back into the grad school fray the following year. Cue immediate existential crisis. I wasn’t in school, and was now unemployed in a new city, taking a break from the social service work that had made me feel so useful. It left me in that strange limbo of grief where you feel like people think you should be doing better than you actually are. For the first time in years, my life was only made of little things, with no big, earth-shattering ones in sight. I felt useless and so deeply ordinary, like a secondary character in my own life. Then, I found my new favourite café. I made very poorly designed clay mugs with my roommates at an art studio. I found a therapist I really connected with and kept in touch with my friends. I kept falling more in love with the best person I’ve ever met, every day. We made paper snowflakes to decorate for Christmas and watched The Bachelorette every week. I continued to contribute to the lives of others and my own, and I remembered that the pause we take between words is just as important as what we’re saying.

 

We will forever need those big moments of hope and inspiration. What I want you to know is that those big moments are always tied together by ordinary everydays, the same ones that you and I live. Max Parrot’s medal is made even more golden by all the little moments of hope that I’m sure he found in his ordinary days, the ones that gave him the strength to deliver that same hope back to us. So go about your ordinary day in any way that brings you peace, and remember how special that is. After all, isn’t finding a moment of peace in a world so loud and blinding the most extraordinary thing of all?

 

—

 

Cecilia Watt is a recent university graduate taking a few years off before grad school to focus on all the little joys in life, such as chai lattes, good books and listening to music while going for walks. 

My Four Anchors

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Cristina Crescenzo (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

On the 29th of June 2020 I made a promise, and it was that I was going to live for my family, if not for myself. It was a conscious decision that I made entirely on my own when I hit rock bottom for the 30th time. I thought that I would use them as a beacon to drive me forward when hope in myself was scarce. I understand that saying my family is a replacement for hope is kind of cheesy, but in my case it is the truth. As such, there are four people in my life who keep me anchored to the ground in times when I want to fly away. 

 

The first is my mom. She is the one who gave me life, after all. She is the reason I understand the concept of unconditional love, because she has watched her own flesh and blood fall into the lowest form of despair countless times and she has stuck by me, even at possible detriment to her own well-being. My mind can’t begin to process what it must be like for a mother to watch the child she brought into this world, through no fault of her own, want to disappear off the face of it just because her little girl doesn’t believe she is worth it. I want to take this moment to thank my mother for her unwavering strength and her support, as I haven’t made it easy for her. I also want to thank her for taking me to countless physiotherapy and counseling appointments and staying by my side during the hospital stays. But most of all, I want to thank you for seeing me and doing everything you can to understand my mental health in the times when your hugs couldn’t comfort me. 

 

The second is my father, who sadly lost his battle to cancer in 2014, and like my mother, was a big believer in staying strong amidst a whole lot of obstacles. There was a saying he used to repeat to me when I would get insecure about my handicap: “Left side, strong side.” This basically meant that I was strong enough to overcome anything life could throw my way. Naturally, I can become upset thinking about the important milestones he missed and will continue to miss, but on the other hand, it is because my father lived his life to the fullest despite being taken from us way before his time that I have to attempt to live for him. I can’t say for sure that I will live as honestly and courageously as he did because I am not my father, however I can honor his memory by being who I am and spending time with the loved ones he left behind.

 

The third is my twin sister, because she is my laughter in the silence. She is always there to cheer me up when I feel low, and I know no matter what happens I can always count on her. She was the one who stopped taking a test and chased after me when I left school crying my eyes out. Even in the times when we are apart, all I have to do is call or text her and she will be there, whether it’s in person or not. We may go through our own challenges in life, but I know she loves me and she knows I love her, because I’m a weirdo and tell her all the time. All I could ever ask of her is to never change, because she is exactly what I need; I couldn’t ask for a better version of me. 

 

The last is my brother, and to me he is the embodiment of the drive you can have when you put your heart into something. The way he strives for goals and results is inspiring! We may not agree on everything, but I know deep down he has my best interests at heart, so thank you for pushing me harder when I push back.

 

To sum it up, I wouldn’t be here without my family, and I don’t know how I could ever begin to repay them, but hopefully this is a start.

 

P.S. To Buddy, my fluffy puppy, I didn’t forget about you. Thank you for never leaving me alone for a second and showering me with love! 

 

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My name is Cristina Crescenzo and I am an English major and aspiring author hoping to bring more positive awareness to disabilities and mental health.

Genuine Hope

Posted on by andrew

Neema Ejercito (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Especially during this pandemic, people have often used the word “hope” or its synonyms to try to make it through each day. I have certainly used it on different occasions, ranging from wanting to see someone in person again to attempting to comfort someone who is sick or has lost a loved one. Being hopeful has definitely been a necessary attitude to have as the pandemic drags on.

 

Is there ever a time when it becomes negative, though? I think hopefulness turns negative when it is used as rose-colored glasses. I would associate this with the term “toxic positivity,” when negative feelings are denied, blanketed with false comfort.

 

I remember when I became a mother for the first time, and I heard about children being the greatest blessings in the world and motherhood being a gift. I definitely agree with both statements, but I don’t always feel that way. Sure, there were a lot of cheerful motherhood and parenting books, but I gravitated towards Anne Lamott’s Operating Instructions, a very honest and unpopular view of pregnancy, at least in my circle. When I heard about a friend who literally wanted to throw her crying baby out of the window, I couldn’t help but relate to her.

 

I think genuine hopefulness is grounded in reality — the harsh, glaring, explosive, maddening, quiet, boring — whatever that reality is. Genuine hopefulness sees a situation or a person so truthfully that it can see past behaviour and what is prominent, but it can’t do that if it’s not rooted or based on what is. If hopefulness becomes an escape or a mask, it won’t help a person move forward. This kind of hopefulness will stunt a person’s growth, blind them and cause them to stop being open and flexible to what the situation calls for or to what the person they are relating to genuinely needs.

 

Going back to my motherhood example, if I kept on hoping that my kids would turn out to be great adults without taking into account that my shortcomings, with even my bestest of intentions, will mess them up or that they will make mistakes that will hurt me, my false hope may gloss over their weaknesses and trumpet only their strengths. They may grow up to think that they can truly do anything or be anyone they want to be without the discipline that comes with working on getting to know themselves and their dreams, or neglect to consider whether they currently have the skills and education to achieve their dreams or better themselves, and what to do about the gap in between.

 

I can understand why people might use hopefulness in a negative way, without being aware that they are doing so, or without really meaning to do so. The other option would mean stepping outside of their comfort zones or facing a truth that is too painful to bear. In order to survive, it might feel easier for us to just keep hoping for the best, without fully grasping that sometimes the best isn’t what we want.

 

I tend to be suspicious of things that sound too good to be true, and that is what negative hopefulness sounds like to me. I also try to be careful about sounding negatively hopeful because it is easy to do. Empathizing with someone can be draining, and I’ve noticed that when I’m emotionally spent, I easily switch to blanket cheer-up phrases. When actively being present for someone is what the situation calls for, and I am distracted by what I’m going to make for dinner or what my schedule is the next day, I will attempt to speed up the time by hoping that a quick fix will be enough.

 

The bottom line is that being genuinely hopeful is not easy. It’s an active, rather than passive, word. Genuine hope changes a situation because it requires us to see something that might have been worse as eventually possibly being something better. But what we see is not always on our terms. Being negatively hopeful is attempting to see something on our terms even when it is not. I think in our humanity, it is normal to feel negatively hopeful. But I hope we are able to move past that.

 

—

 

Neema Ejercito is a professional writer, director and creative writing mentor. Her 3D edutainment series for beginning readers, AlphaBesties, is showing in YouTube Japan and Prairie Kids. When she’s not writing or mentoring, she manages her household with her very supportive husband and three children.

COVID-19: Season 3

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Jihu Lee (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Have you ever been advised to not evaluate your life in the middle of the night when you’re tired? I find myself taking that approach when writing; I typically write in hindsight with a relatively placid mindspace that enables me to talk about the past as if it doesn’t hurt me anymore. But this time, I am breaking my own rule.

 

I just finished my first semester of sophomore year in university. On campus! In person! It felt surreal when my family and I drove from Utah to Los Angeles in August. And I was careful to be grateful for every moment.

 

The thing is, I don’t think the majority of us were prepared enough for the return to “normalcy,” whatever that means now. We did have mask mandates, vaccination requirements and a daily symptom check in place. But I realized quickly that adjusting to society again after a year and a half of isolation was far more difficult than expected, and certainly not one that masks or vaccines could address.

 

Of course, I was thrilled at the prospect of in-person classes and learning from amazing professors as well as finally connecting and reuniting with fellow friends. But I felt like a person learning a new skill all over again. My abilities were still intact, but the motions felt awkward and unfamiliar.

 

There is not a word that will accurately capture the feeling of sudden detachment while in the middle of a conversation with someone. Or when there are approximately 44,000 other students on campus with you and yet you are lonelier than ever. At one point, it felt like I forgot that a normal conversation typically begins with a “hello.” Moreover, the idea of others perceiving not just the upper half of my body on a screen, but my entire self, was so bizarre.

 

We are people desperately craving connection while deeply unsure of how to attain it after missing out on proper socialization during some of our most formative years. 

 

Something that is both comforting and despairing is the fact that nearly everyone is feeling this uncomfortable adjustment. We all seem to be pretending to get along fine and appearing to be in lively social circles, but truthfully, I think most of us are uncertain and lost.

 

Not only are socialization and interpersonal connection difficult, but we are all shouldering our own burdens to begin with. Whether these battles have been a part of our lives since childhood and amplified during the pandemic or newly born from it, the bottom line is that we are already fighting something on our own. To try to build relationships at this time in our discombobulated worlds is not an easy task.

 

We are now in Season 3 of the coronavirus pandemic. I was 18 when we first went into quarantine, and now I am 20. To all of you with bleeding hearts and broken visions for the future — especially to young people waiting to live again — take a moment to be proud of yourselves for making it so far.

 

This experience is not over for me or any of us yet, so it’s challenging to talk about it coherently and neutrally like it’s far behind us now. Despite all that has happened in the past nearly two years so far, I am often at a loss for words to describe it all. But what I do know is that I’m willing myself to move forward, even though I don’t know what I’m doing or how I’m feeling. In fact, most of the time I don’t feel any progress at all, like I’m just a stone in a river as the water rushes past me.

 

I hope that anyone who relates can feel some comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Your feelings are unique to you and are not the same as anyone else’s, but in your struggles and depths of despair, I see you and encourage you to keep going. If it’s hard to feel hopeful, then perhaps let’s not force ourselves to find hope at once. But rather, feel whatever you’re feeling at the moment and acknowledge that.

 

Bit by bit, I want to believe that we will find ourselves again. None of it is easy or as inspirational as a cute quote on the internet. But as the days go by, I remind myself that all I can do at the moment is not give up and keep going forward.

 

—

 

My name is Jihu, and I’m from Salt Lake City, Utah! I have been with Low Entropy since May 2021. Some of the things I love are reading, writing, listening to music, playing with my dogs and spending time with my sister!

Unless

Posted on by andrew

Anna Bernsteiner (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Yesterday I didn’t get out of my bed at all.

I stared at the ceiling.

And it looked like I was still, doing nothing 

When actually there were thousands of conversations and words 

Floating through my mind

so I was paralyzed and had to listen to them scream.

 

Time felt worthless and so the days passed

And another one and another one and many more after. 

And this would have gone on for eternity 

Sadness and depression can eat you alive 

 

Unless . . .

There is something in you that wants to move. 

Unless . . .

There is something that wants to run, dance, laugh

Unless

there is something that will fight 

 

All you need is a beating heart

And a fighting soul

To rebuild your life. 

Nothing can stop you

Not grief, not pain, not depression

 

You are in control of your reality

You can 

You will. 

 

So today I got out of bed in the morning. 

It took me all the strength I had 

But I made it

And so will you. 

 

—

 

Hi, I’m Anna, I’m a student and I write blogs for Low Entropy. In my free time I like to explore new countries and cultures, try new foods, languages and meet new people, and I try to write interesting articles 🙂

 

Over It

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They say that breaking up is hard to do. Ava Ingram knows that it’s true. Ava got through it though, and the Low Entropy volunteer writer shares her best practices on sorting out the aftermath.

 

You’ve done your best, and given your all. You’ve had enough of the emotional roller coaster ride and gaslighting your partner was putting you through. You need to find a way out . . . then they decide to turn around and break up with you first. What’s next?

 

Give them a second chance to prove themselves, one last time . . . but when they screwed that up again . . .

 

A sense of relief.

 

They said they’d always be there for you, but in the end, you were just left trying to take care of yourself. And everything you said to your partner, they just turned around and fired back at you.

 

What’s helpful in these times when you feel like you want to punch someone, like all hope is lost?

 

Taking an “easy way out” with drinking or using drugs wasn’t for me. I chose the harder route, but I knew that I’d have to deal with it myself because, until I had somewhat processed it, I would never be able to move forward and love myself, or anyone else, again.

 

When you’re sitting in your bed all alone in the dark, thinking, “Everything’s useless,” “I can’t do anything,” and “I’m no good,” it’s a start to think, “At least I’m trying to get better.” It’s very hard to try and trick/reroute your brain when you’re in a dark place and don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone says, “It’ll get better,” but you don’t really trust that it will. Why do things seem so easy for others in your time of struggle? How do they seem to get by with nothing crappy happening to them?

 

The hardest part for me was dealing with empathy. I’m a very empathetic person, but it can come back and bite me in the butt. I felt very bad for my boyfriend after we broke up the first time. He was dealt a bad hand, as he’d had a rough childhood. I felt bad for him, his family and his pets, as they were stuck in that “welfare mentality” and didn’t want to get better. He’d once told me he wanted to get fit. And my mom explained to me that, in the same way mentally, I couldn’t “work out” his brain for him. He’d have to change for himself, and if he never did, that wasn’t on me. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was true.

 

Medication is an aid, but there are some issues that medication can’t magically fix if you don’t confront them head-on.

 

Surrounding yourself with a good support group is always good. You might not always like your family members, but in my experience, mine have always been there for me in my time of need.  Therapy is helpful. Helping you be aware that you want to get better is the first step, but you  have to want and be able to put in the effort, even when the going gets tough. I’ve been told it’s good to “feel things through,” but at the same time, it shouldn’t give you permission to sit around and feel crappy all day, soaking in those feelings. At some point, you’re going to have to confront your fears of returning to work, and resume life as “normal.”

 

I showed up to work a few days after the breakup. It was hard keeping it together, and then I just sort of lost it all at once. That was embarrassing, and at the same time, I was like, “How am I gonna keep it together for the remainder of my shift?” Somehow, I just did. Don’t get me wrong, it was extremely hard, and I lost it again after work. But somehow, with practice, it gets a little easier. I’ve heard a good way to calm anxiety is to say, “I’m ok,” but in that moment, you don’t really feel ok, so it’s really tough.

 

Watching a movie as a distraction was always helpful. But that was just it, it was only a distraction, and wasn’t dealing with the actual issue at hand. The one thing I learned was the PERMA-V model. The “P” stands for positive emotions. So this would be the time to watch something that makes you smile, or that is funny. The “A” stands for achievement. If writing/being creative is one of your gifts, find something to do that involves that. This is a good distraction.

 

Golden nuggets are another very useful thing I’ve learned. Counting your blessings/things that make you happy is a good way of focussing your brain on the good instead of the bad.

 

After you’ve cooled down a bit and had time to process the situation, putting yourself out there to potentially get judged and ruined again is very hard to do. But in the end, if you don’t try, you’ll never know what you could be missing, which is a very hard pill to swallow. And if I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be in the good place I’m in now.

 

Same dating site as my ex. Kept looking. Losing hope.

 

Then some guy messages me, asking who my favourite Avenger was. It was everything that wasn’t in my last relationship, but everything I wanted. Everything seems good, and right, and not like you have to explain why you’re doing everything. You don’t feel on edge/living in survival mode at all. Good communication that goes both ways, and just enjoying each other’s company.

 

It’s hard to work on yourself in order to find this kind of happy, but in the end, it’s well worth it.

 

Who’s your favourite Avenger? Tell us all about your kind of happy in the comments below, or on one of our other social media channels!

Stuck at Home Schooling

Posted on by andrew

Depending on where you are, it’s been about a year that we’ve been living with COVID-19. With the world put on hold for what seems like forever, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Özge Akdeniz had enough free time to put together a collection of insightful, optimistic lessons learned from an otherwise awful ordeal.

 

The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on everybody, myself included. But in the time left after complaining about how unfair life is, I thought about the life lessons I have learnt from this whole mess. So without further ado, let’s take a look at my ideas about the possible positive lessons we can take from the pandemic:

 

1) You’re not in control.

 

Yes, I know. It doesn’t sound that good. But bear with me. As humans, we enjoy the feeling of control. Some of us could even plan their entire life if they were given the chance. But in reality, we really don’t choose what’s going to happen to us, for the most part. Who could predict this pandemic beforehand? But here it is, changing our lives and throwing our plans off. Though it sounds depressing at first, doesn’t it make you feel better, the idea that you’re not the only reason why things aren’t going the way they were supposed to? This is just the right time to stop beating yourself up about all of your “failures”. 

 

2) Small things matter.

 

Going to a café and spending some time reading while I sip my coffee in a nice ambiance wasn’t something I appreciated enough before the pandemic. Nor was being able to meet with a friend and hug them. But after all, I learnt that life is all about those small things I enjoy. Even being able to comfortably breathe without a mask was a huge blessing. But I know that someday, I will be able to do these things again. Meanwhile, I’ll just focus on what blessings I have right now. 

 

3) Health is a priority.

 

How often do you stop to appreciate your health? Your body is working to keep you alive every single second. But oftentimes we don’t give our health the attention it deserves. It’s only when it is taken away, or when it is in danger, that we understand its importance. The most valuable thing you have is a properly working body and mind. Countries all over the world are fighting to keep people alive, despite the financial consequences of closing down businesses. I used to think that money ruled the world. But I was wrong. Nothing is more important to us than being alive and well. We are, after all, animals who are fighting to survive.

 

4) Hope is essential to survival.

 

The last thing I learnt from the pandemic is that having hope for the future truly matters. I don’t want to listen to people who say I have to be realistic, and that is the only way I will do well in life. When you stop having a positive outlook, it affects your mental health. Being stuck in the doomsday mentality only made my life even more miserable. When you focus on the negative parts of the situation, it usually doesn’t cause a fighting response from your brain. It only triggers the “flight” mode. You stop trying, because it seems like no matter what you do, you cannot overcome the huge problems in your life. You need to start seeing the bright future that is ahead of you, so that you will be motivated to actually make it come true.  

 

What lessons have you learned in the past year and how have you maintained your optimism? Comment here or join us at a Low Entropy meeting!