If I will get a chance to speak with my younger self- I would say "Take chances, speak your heart out, validate and acknowledge your feelings. Because you deserve to be seen and heard."
Always remember light comes only after a dark night. Don't lose hope because every morning comes with a new chance. Cherish the rainbows which comes after the storms and celebrate all the moments.
[00:00:01] Ideabrew Studios
[00:00:15] To be in the present moment without being judgmental about anything is mindfulness.
[00:00:21] I'm Shailja Saraswati, your host.
[00:00:25] Join me to discover the joys of mindfulness and meditation through life insights, stories
[00:00:32] and observations.
[00:00:33] Today I am going to talk about my journey coming off age when I was in my early teens
[00:00:41] and the obstacles I have gone through at that time.
[00:00:45] And my biggest obstacle used to be, you know, when negativity comes inside and you don't
[00:00:54] know how to navigate that and come out of it because at that age you haven't really learned
[00:00:59] those tools.
[00:01:00] You know, your personality is not developed and possibly if you are a shy person,
[00:01:05] it gets very difficult to even talk and express about what's going on inside.
[00:01:12] So for me, that was the biggest challenge.
[00:01:14] I was a very shy person, not talkative at all.
[00:01:19] And most of my expression in life used to happen on a piece of paper where I used to
[00:01:23] write in form of stories, prose, poems and I used to feel very cathartic after that.
[00:01:31] You know, when I reflect back now, I think the one thing which, you know, as a teenager
[00:01:37] you would really struggle is, hey, you know, the decisions which I'm making, taking in
[00:01:42] life, are they correct?
[00:01:43] Are my goal posts in life correct?
[00:01:47] You really need a mentor.
[00:01:48] You know, you need a guide and a coach who walks along with you, you know, during
[00:01:53] that journey and a go-to guide, right?
[00:01:56] A go-to person.
[00:01:57] It's not like you only read something and that can inspire you, of course.
[00:02:03] But on a day-to-day basis, you know, as a guide, you keep searching for those guides in your
[00:02:09] parents, in your friends, in your neighbor, in your relatives.
[00:02:16] But still one guide who would be unconditional about their opinion about your life.
[00:02:23] So that becomes very critical.
[00:02:27] So for me, I think my guiding principle now is that, of course, you know, you follow the
[00:02:35] light, you follow the wisdom and just make sure to come out of your dark zones in your life.
[00:02:42] You just follow and do the right thing because the right thing will lead you to the light.
[00:02:47] But to say these words today to all of you, I think I've walked many, many steps
[00:02:53] in many years.
[00:02:55] But those years, it wasn't easy.
[00:02:57] You know, when you're 16, 18, 20 year old, there's so many doubts, so many questions,
[00:03:04] there's so many reservations.
[00:03:06] You hold this fear, there is anxiety, there is this entire thing of performance.
[00:03:12] You know, there's so many things going on in a youngster's life that now when
[00:03:17] I see all the knowledge which, or all the good knowledge which I really want to share,
[00:03:25] which I keep talking about, I think it's so relevant for the youth.
[00:03:29] I would really want to make more videos which basically unports and decodes this entire
[00:03:36] approach to coming of age.
[00:03:39] Is there any easy way of navigating this entire journey from a, you know, from a teenage
[00:03:46] to youth to adulthood?
[00:03:50] You know, because like I've seen all those parts in my life.
[00:03:55] And yes, it was not easy.
[00:03:57] It's been very difficult and very easy to talk about and smile and laugh about it right
[00:04:02] now.
[00:04:03] But I think one tip, I'm going to make a lot of videos, but today only one tip
[00:04:08] for all my youth and teenage friends out there.
[00:04:13] Whatever doubts which you're having, right?
[00:04:15] Whatever feelings which you're feeling right now, just validate them.
[00:04:20] Just don't ignore them.
[00:04:21] Don't push them under the carpet.
[00:04:23] Listen to them, acknowledge them, be with that entire experience what you're going through.
[00:04:30] But just remember one thing and trust me on this, there is a light down that tunnel.
[00:04:37] There is a silver lining to that cloud.
[00:04:40] It is just that you can't see or, you know, in your experience, this is what you have
[00:04:45] seen so far.
[00:04:47] But trust me, if I had to talk to my own younger self, I would tell myself that, hey,
[00:04:52] you know, just chill, just relax, just take it easy.
[00:04:56] Just don't be hasty.
[00:04:58] Don't make assumptions.
[00:05:00] Don't just take it easy, you know, just breathe and just live every day at this
[00:05:06] romantic situations as they are.
[00:05:09] You know, so as a youngster also you have so many things going in your mind and, you know,
[00:05:14] you want to kind of stir your life in a particular way.
[00:05:18] So this entire thing about acceptance, forgiveness, patience, letting go, it's very difficult,
[00:05:26] you know, to tell an 18 year old to all of that.
[00:05:29] I mean, I didn't do it.
[00:05:30] I just wanted to share, you know, I just wanted to start a new series, which is
[00:05:34] all about, you know, coming of age.
[00:05:39] I'll leave you here, but keep these things in mind when you are unwell.
[00:05:45] Loads and loads of self love, oodles of honey blended with some warm water and some watermelon
[00:05:55] and self love and self love and self love.
[00:05:58] And that's the concoction I would want to give all of you when you are unwell.
[00:06:04] Take care.
[00:06:04] Stay healthy, stay safe and I'll see you soon in the next episode.
[00:06:09] Bye.