This is my path to resistance; every step is a revolution against busyness and forgetfulness — the opposite of mindfulness. In the afternoon during my second day in Jayagiri, I decided to take a long walk through the hiking path of Panembong, which connected Jayagiri and Cikole. Supposedly, the hiking…

Like Thoreau, I went to the woods to “live deliberately” to seek solitude and try to find the seed of mindfulness and compassion to go forward in this long journey. I’ve had a fascination with solitude since I was a child. I fantasized of traveling to the woods and “live…

For 30 years, I’ve felt like I never knew how to live in a world where you didn’t exist. Hello, Papa. How are you doing right now, wherever you are? I hope the Divine keeps you safe, protected, and loved as you wait for the end of the world, or heaven and hell, if there are any. I hope you’ve attained enlightenment and will not have to reincarnate in…

“My world has stopped.” I finally resumed counseling a week ago, following an almost three-year hiatus. This year has been difficult for me because I was so distressed due to my work that it bled into every single thing in my life. My therapy sessions this time concentrated on the inner child and trauma…

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I always feel like I squandered my twenties by being toxic and a burden to those around me; I was constantly feeling sorry for myself and everyone I knew. No amount of assurances or kindness can make up for the constant inner critic that gnaws at me. And, even when I made amends to those I had hurt and they had forgiven me, I was still carrying this burden, never truly forgiving myself. But then my current therapist taught me that what I lack the most is self compassion for myself, that I was kind to everyone but myself, and I'm hoping that slowly but steadily, I can learn to develop self compassion and forgive myself for the mistakes I've made in the past.

This is such a unique and insightful piece of content, a welcome change from the 'hustle porn' content that has recently flooded my Medium feed. I was (and possibly still am) a self-proclaimed productivity junkie, and it took a toll on me because I reached a point where I wondered where this was going to lead me, what would happen if I became Tim Ferris or other self-productivity gurus? Will I be content then? Then it dawns on me that I don't even know if Ryan Holiday or Tim Ferris are happy despite their morning routines, and productivity gurus are unlikely to show us those mornings or days when they are just slouching around and doing nothing.

It’s been five years since I was first diagnosed with major depressive disorder or clinical depression. And, more than a year has passed since my quest to find a psychiatrist who will not tell me directly that I don’t have ADHD because I hold a Master’s degree. Even though I’ve made progress in coping with my depression, I wouldn’t say that I’m totally recovered. …

Last week, my partner became ill with Covid-19. Despite our extensive travel, we have been relatively fortunate in avoiding Covid-19. My partner, on the other hand, had a high fever followed by a sore throat last week. We had just gone out drinking and playing tennis over the weekend, so we decided to get an antigen test just…

I was a chronic insomniac until I discovered this remedy. I was a chronic insomniac At first, I tried melatonin, a natural remedy that almost everyone with sleeping problems has tried. It was ineffective. …