THE RESURRECTION

HoW to Find YouR WaY Back to YouRselF

Writer: Ralitsa Nikolova

Designer: Mila Engering

Did you know that volcanic soils are one of the most fertile ones? Someone said it once in a movie, so I had to fact-check it immediately! Funny enough, it happened to be true. Who would’ve thought such a destructive force would create a fertile foundation for prosperity?

Funny, isn’t it? I believe it’s the same with people. We, humans, live so often in our heads that we start giving power to all of our negative thoughts. We let them roam freely, consume our thoughts, and engrave themselves in our hearts. Entering your twenties will rock your world, shatter your outdated mentality, and make you question if every decision you have ever made has been the right one. Yes, it is scary, and you will long for the past and the person you used to be. Unfortunately, you cannot get them back by living in your memories. This person doesn’t exist anymore. However, when the storm passes, you will have a clean slate to rebuild yourself anew. It will allow you to discover new hobbies, meet new people, and enrich your already established set of skills with some new ones that would help you romanticize life to enjoy it to the fullest. Let me spill the beans on some steps you can consider taking on your journey to getting better.

Don’t Let Your Depression Work the Graveyard Shift

The seasonal depression arrives at your doorstep uninvited. It creeps into your life, builds walls around you and calls it home. You return to it when you are overwhelmed with work or on rainy days. Sometimes, the most enticing of books and the wildest parties cannot distract you from your overwhelming state of mind. This inner sadness and unworthiness consume you, making it endless, tiring, and so comforting that you never want to part with it because finding peace is frightening.

But taking the first step toward getting better is a great accomplishment as it is. Sit with your emotions, let yourself feel them, validate them, and reach out to a professional when ready. And when you get home, recreate all the comfort foods you ate as a child, play Little Miss Sunshine, journal, and listen to songs that make you feel alive in the quiet hours of the night. Even when you think you are on your own in this battle, remember that your inner child is rooting for you to win. The sun will shine, and you will fall in love with life again.

Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me

There comes a time in the life of every caterpillar when it must go through a metamorphosis and let its old self die for a more beautiful version of itself to be born. This new version exudes acceptance that only comes when you choose to love yourself. When you start looking at yourself with your heart and not your eyes, you start to see your strengths and weaknesses with compassion and appreciation. That is when you learn to like yourself for your positive qualities and love yourself despite the ones that need some more work. Welcome every new experience and every new person into your life as a courteous host and let them go when the time comes.

The friendships we make along the way and the ones we walk away from will teach us that what is meant for us will stay and that what is not will leave. Don’t dwell on the past for too long because you will miss out on all gifts that the present has to offer. The only constant in your life will forever be just you. So, embrace the person you are and learn to love yourself because you will be your most reliable and faithful companion until the very end. Besides, the compassion you cultivate for yourself also manifests in empathy for others. Holding space for other people’s struggles rewards us with more robust connections and a sense of belonging.

That is why springs are so fascinating. Spring is when the underground water finds an opening to the land surface, whether as a trickle, only after it has rained, or occasionally in a continuous flow. The strength to resurface that water carries, even after the worst of storms, is inspirational, and I believe that everyone should aspire to be like a spring. Be a force of nature, and don’t let what happened to you define the person you are. Fight for the love you harbor for your friends and family, for your prosperity, and for yourself. The most potent muse of all is your inner child. Carrying your traumas and emotional baggage your whole life is a heavy burden. Why not leave it one day at a random train station and catch the next train on your journey to self-love?

Writer: Marieke Asbreuk

Designer: Mónica Gomes