‘Actually, what we all face problems with are the mental weights and burdens that we carry around’
A couple of days back, I felt that the bag I carry to work was heavier than usual. Or maybe it was always that way and I just happened to pay attention to it that day.
As I take the metro to work daily, I hold the bag in my hands when I am switching trains and standing inside one. Seating is a distant dream during peak hours.
I then dissected the components of my bag to see what was making it so heavy:
a) A pair of clunky headphones
b) Two novels(or one book and a kindle)
c) A small dairy
d) A box of curd
e) A box with snacks
f) A box with fruits
No wonder my bag felt heavy.
Now, if I choose to, I can reduce the load.
All I have to do is subtract a couple of things, buy a compact pair of headphones and it should be better.
But there is some other weight that isn’t that easy to reduce.
All of us are weighed down by the mental weights and burdens that we carry around.
Past hurts, resentments, people who owe us, let us down, bad experiences, all of these weigh us down more than we realise.
Days when I think of all the good things in my life and the people who supported me when I needed it the most, I feel lighter on my feet and breeze through the day.
In spite of all my best intentions, some days I get stuck in negative cycles for certain periods of time. In those moments, I feel tired and heavy.
Over the years, I have got better in cutting off and reducing negative cycles but I still have some distance to go.
People who look like they’re carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders are generally carrying around with them resentments and a sour world view. Not a statement, just an observation. I know because I turn into one of those people occasionally. They’re generally not very pleasant or encouraging to be around.
Carrying a weight around is hard, physically and mentally.
Reducing the weight of a heavy suitcase seems easier because we can physically take stuff out. In the same vein, we also know what we need to let go off to reduce the mental load that we are needlessly lugging around.
There are no mysterious monsters lurking in our head, just redundant thoughts and processes that don’t serve us any more.
To feel lighter on your feet, reduce the weight you are carrying around in your head.
