A secret for stressful days
Hint: if you are a potter head, this is similar to fighting dementors
I’m writing this with the cool air of rain on my back, the sweet smell of earth, and thoughts of a perfect sleep. These three things can have me smiling even on the most challenging days. Want to know how? Keep reading!
I am sure we have all had one of those long days that probably start with you waking up late. It's the kind of day when you lose a button on your shirt while rushing out, then rush back in because you forgot your wallet. Those days that never seem to end. How do you explain checking the time in two hours, and it only went from 9:15 a.m. to 9:19 a.m.?🥲
I once had a day that started with me arguing with a bus conductor after standing at the bus stop for over an hour. Then, the clouds opened up a few stops away from mine, and I got to my destination wet, cold, tired, irritated, and exhausted. Guess what? I got dried and got to work because, sadly, that’s what adults do.
After adulting for a while, I found a hack, but for this to work, you have to be semi-delusional. Alas, Delulu is the solulu. After all, the greatest battles are fought in the mind and from my standpoint, this battle is great.
The first step is to have a favourite activity, one that you can do at any time of the day. For me, it is sleeping or eating. If you can’t think of a favourite activity, you should think of a sweet memory (the memory of dark clouds and wind right before it rains while you lay in the comfort of your bed or any memory that suits the description).
The next step is to separate what you would rather be doing from what you are supposed to do, then create two distinct personas of yourself so that while one is frustrated, the other can face the challenges ahead. This helps me isolate from stressors in my immediate environment. The thought that there is a life waiting outside the present and the possibilities of that would go as far as my mind can imagine.
I learnt this hack from Harry Potter and I call it my Expecto patronum spell because it chases the dementors who show up in the form of stressful days and difficult moments. While I hack my way through the obstacles of a stressful day, the recesses of my mind are living my best life. Also, remembering that this stress is only a preamble to the soft life in the near future is another motivation. I mean, if all I really have to do is get through this in order to live with the rest of my mind in that made-up bliss, then I would, and I’ll have fun while at it.
I’m sitting in a glass-walled cottage, swallowed by the heavy duvet with a novel I am halfway through. I sink deeper into the softest couch with cookies and a cold cup of tea (or maybe it’s eba and egusi soup) with nothing on my to-do list. Rain hits the glass walls, and a soft melody plays noiselessly in the background. This is my go-to scenario for terrible days, and I would love to see what you come up with in the comments.