If you've been exhausted lately, read this.
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Hello lovely reader!
Welcome to Be Your Best Friend with Anangsha - the weekly newsletter that always keeps in mind who or what is the most important.
I’ve been working non-stop since the start of this year. Sure, I took mini-breaks and holidays, but at the back of my head, there was always work. Even while I was not actively writing, I was ideating somewhere inside my head - planning new avenues, thinking of new and fun ways to collaborate with other creatives.
No wonder I was exhausted.
I was so exhausted, that I lost all motivation to write or work for my business. I thought this was a phase, that I could bring myself to write if I pushed really hard.
But it was too much. I just couldn’t.
And so, I didn’t.
I stopped worrying about what I might be missing out on and started focusing on being grateful for what I had.
I’ll confess, the last week has been pretty weird.
Things are going on well in my life, but I' haven’t been able to appreciate them or even search for the good in everything. Usually, I don’t really need external motivation to do things, but the past few days, I haven’t been able to do even the bare minimum of the tasks I usually accomplish in a day.
Is this a sign of growing old, I wonder - because people say your twenties are the time when you’re at your productive best?
Or maybe it’s just a phase where I feel the strain of working non-stop for the past month or so, and my body is forcing me to take a break?
I don’t know what the reason is, but I’ve not done any work in the past week.
All my life, I’ve had this unhealthy obsession of not wasting a single moment of my day, but this relaxed week has been like a refreshing change. Here are some ways I enjoyed my time off.
Something to read/watch
I watched Castlevania, started reading A Destiny of Dragons by TJ Klune (both fantasy fiction), and started re-watching Sense8 on Netflix. It’s my favorite show of all time, and I first watched it in 2016. Even though I know the plot and the characters by heart, watching the series once again from the start has filled me with this warm fuzzy glow, like meeting an old friend after ages.
I love these characters so deeply like they’re my own, and meeting them once again has filled my heart with joy.
Taking time out for your body
I’ve also started experimenting with Pilates HIIT and the results have been incredible. If you’ve been following my fitness journey, I only started working out in 2016. It started with running, then progressed to HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts in 2020. In 2021, I discovered I love Pilates much more than I ever loved HIIT.
And then, in the last few weeks, I thought why not combine Pilates and HIIT?
The result? I feel stronger, more flexible, and have never been happier after a workout as much as these 30-minute sessions make me feel.
Do let me know how the past week has gone for you. What’s something new and exciting that you’ve tried?
Also, what are your plans for the weekend? Do you intend to relax a little, or are you going to finish off pending work?
Remember that your work is important, yes. Money is important, as is being ambitious and networking with the right people. But you are more important than all that.
There’s only one of you. Remember to take care of yourself.
Either way, I want you to know that no matter how you feel, this won’t last forever. The universe offers no guarantees, but if there’s one thing you can be absolutely sure of, it’s this: nothing lasts forever.
Not happiness. And definitely not sadness.
This also reminds me of a beautiful dialog in the movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. It’s a typical Bollywood masala romance movie but has some pretty interesting scenes. This one’s between the male lead, Ayan, and the female lead, Alizeh.
Alizeh: Me rone ka fan nahi hu. Aur hasne ka to bilkul nahi. Beech ka rasta leti hu.
Ayan: Beech me kya hai?
Alizeh: Zindagi.
Translated to English, here’s what they are saying:
Alizeh: I’m not a fan of happiness. And not at all a fan of sadness. I take the road in between.
Ayan: What’s there in between happiness and sadness?
Alizeh: Life.
Though humbling, I think it’s an important lesson to keep reminding ourselves of.
Life’s always a balance of happiness and sadness. We are not meant to stay at either for too long.
Well, that’s all from my end today.
I know I promised you no links in today’s email, but I had to recommend you this newsletter by my friend Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi. Her newsletter is weekly and talks about health, personal development, and travel - a little something in your inbox that leaves you healthier and happier.
Note that I create this newsletter for you every week with lots of love. If you’d like to support me, here’s a link you can use to buy me a book.
If you found this letter useful, don’t forget to forward this to a friend or ask them to sign up for my newsletter. It’s free, and you know me, I only send valuable content.
Have a great weekend. Remember to take some time off your phone or computer screen and look at all the lovely things around you.
I’ll see you again next week.
Until then, stay awesome and keep smiling.
Love,
Anangsha
PS: If you haven’t checked out the Books Are Our Superpower Book Club yet, know that it’s this crazy cool community of readers and book lovers. If reading is an important part of your identity, you have to join as a member today. We launch officially on July 1st.