Monday column: The walks of life we take

The walk of life is not a stroll we take in the busy streets but in the channels of our thoughts as we seek refuge to get out of our familiar tantrums.

Years of following a routine may take its toll that can never be reversed. It is not the physical part of it that ruins our lives but the thought that we can never get out of it that puts us down. Office work, business pressures or even home routines are predictable.

So it is the predictability in every hour of the day that drives away our joy. It is stuck in our minds during the day and follow us when we get into bed. Sometimes, the sleep in the night will not set us free and the routine gets into a rewind mode in our dreams.

When we wake up in the morning, it all comes back to us. We ‘wear the routine’ like we do with our clothes and it rushes back where we left off in the previous day. So how do we break free from it? Psychologist would say ‘change’ the routine.

But is it that easy? Of course, it is not when we seemed to be locked in it in an iron grill of despair. Besides, most of our routines are professional or family. We cannot just walk away from our offices or families, can we?
Not exactly.  So what is the answer or to be specific, the solution? For a start, we should not be obsessed about it. Let’s allow our daily routines to flow with the day without being very rigid or obsessed about it. Let’s also forgive ourselves when we don’t get it right.

We cannot be ‘perfect’ all the time. Let the day surprises us and allow it to unfold itself without applying too many restrictions. This how we mentally break from the routine while we adhere from it physically. Let us look at it this way. How we perceive our daily routine in our minds is crucial.

If we convince ourselves that it is all about the mind game then the physical part of performing the routine will be much easier. But how do we do it? We can let our thoughts run wild when we take a break to escape the routine even for a few minutes.

I personally find walking out into the open air and looking at the drifting clouds or the sun rays shining on the rooftops is really exonerating. When I go back to my work, I feel totally refreshed. That way, I don’t feel guilty of getting out of the routine. It is part of it but you create a path to take a mind ‘refresher’ and coming back ready for another hour of your daily ritual.

I found out that these mental refreshers are like a ‘spiritual break’ from the stress of the working routine. They serve the purpose of putting a coma before the final full stop at the end of the working day.