21 years. That's a long time. 7,670 days, 184,080 hours, 662,690,000 seconds. That is a long time to be alive. Every second of my life spent learning and growing from a snot-nosed child who shat in the backyard to a computer programmer and nerd interested in every little aspect of the world.
I've had 21 years to think, learn, and grow into the person I am today. I think I'd like to take the time to share some lessons from my life that hopefully you all can benefit from.
I know it's cliché to say this, but looking on the positive side of everything, even the darkest moments, really helps you to keep pushing through the rough parts of life. It's not easy to do sometimes.
There have been lots of times where I've just wanted to lay down and die, but I'd be a weak man to let anything in life keep me down on the ground. The best way to push forward when you're hurting is to look on the bright side. If you can't think of anything positive, always start with this: "at least I'm alive". Then move on to the people around you, the belongings on your back, the clothes you wear. Find little things that all add up to a larger part.
Taking the time to take inventory of what you still have in life helps a lot when you've been kicked down. If you haven't done it in a while, take the time now to do it.
Even if you think you're a lone wolf, you still need social interactions with other people. Isolation slowly eats away at your mental health, leaving you empty and lonely when left unattended.
Covid really hit hard for a lot of people because suddenly any and all social interactions you would've had were now gone. The sensation of physically being there with someone suddenly disappeared, leaving a big void that everyone tried to fill with social media and online chat platforms like Discord.
Discord was a good solution during that time, but could only do so much to stave off the larger problems with being isolated for many months at a time. Time spent online talking with friends and having a great time slowly turned into longing for real life physical connections with those same friends. Your computer went from a really fun place for fun and games, to a place you had to go to for social interactions, and that did a lot of damage to how many people socialize.
If you're afflicted by depression, socialization is significantly more important than normal. You need to be surrounded by people who love you and care for you. Depression makes it really easy to feel like you need to be isolated, which makes you feel worse, so you talk less, so you feel worse, and so on. It's important to surround yourself with people that care for you, because those people will lift you up when you fall.
Isolation kills. It feeds upon itself until it takes you with it. Don't let it.
Your brain is not just a part of you; it is you. That hunk of meat is responsible for so many little tasks that you don't even think about. If your brain isn't active, it starts to forget more and do less. The human brain is a marvel of God himself, gifted to you so that you may pilot a meat mech, so take care of it. Take the time to do some puzzles, write some code, do some writing, anything to keep it active every day, but be careful not to overwork it.
As is with most things in life, working your brain too much will damage it. Your brain is the same as all the muscles and organs in and around you. If you overwork it, it'll strain and hurt and leave your brain weaker for a while. Just as it is important to keep your brain active, it is equally important to give it a break. Not just by doing something simple and mindless like watching a video, but by taking time to sit in silence and reflect on what is in your mind.
Your brain and body know what it needs to survive, so listen to them. If your stomach growls and hurts, feed it. If your head hurts, give it a break. It's simple, but I've seen many people ignore their own needs and get hurt because of it. Neuroatypicals are especially prone to this. I find myself constantly needing to remind myself to eat when I'm deep into a project I'm working on, because if I don't then I absolutely will spend 12 hours programming without taking a lunch break. Listen to your body, it will let you know what it needs.
Sometimes you need to remind yourself where you are in life. Right now I'm reflecting on my age and my life up to this point. Thinking about what I've learned over the years, looking at where I am now, and thinking about where I want to go.
Right now I'm a college student majoring in Computer Science. I'm here to learn more about programming so that I can get a job in that industry so in the future I can live with my boyfriend and be able to provide for them. I don't have many goals right now, but I know where I want to be and how I think I can get there.
My reflection was quite basic, but taking the time to break down those big chunks into smaller pieces is also good to do when you're looking for goals in life.
I hope you have a fantastic day today! It's kinda weird thinking that I'm 21 years old now. Only 21 years ago did I scare the shit out my parents who were not at all ready for me to be ready. I'm grateful for the friends and family that surround me and for all of you who read these posts. It means the world to me that you read these posts. Here's to another 21 years! 🍺🍺🍺