This One Book Brought Me Back To Life And Made My Heart A Little Younger

I don’t know exactly how to explain it but after reading all those giant self-help books, I created an imaginary identity of who I should be. I started acting like I am way more mature, smart and perfect. Although, I truly respect people who have been through depression, anxiety or any other kind of negative incident yet I always felt that I can never be depressed.

I have everything that I always prayed for yet I felt a void in me as if something is missing. And that something is what I found in The Comfort Book.

After reading The Comfort Book, I realized that no matter how much I have achieved, I am still running behind that ‘perfect self’ that either exists in movies or self-help books. I realized that even though I have become mentally strong, I have forbidden myself to feel, take a break, enjoy the little pleasures of life and take out time for my loved ones.

Here is what I have learnt from The Comfort Book and what all lessons I am implementing.

1. Love:

You don’t have to continually improve yourself to love yourself. Love is not something you deserve only if you reach a goal. The world is one of pressure but don’t let it squeeze your self-compassion. You were born worthy of love and you remain worthy of love. Be kind to yourself.

2. External events are neutral:

Till now, you must have had a belief that everything is either bad or good, right? But that’s exactly where we all go wrong. External events are neutral. They only gain positive or negative value the moment they enter our minds.

Anything we never thought about is neither bad nor good because things are good or bad based on our perception. Once anything, any situation or any person enters in our mind, we perceive them in a certain way (based on our perception) and then we put a label on them. That’s why things and people you have never met are nothing, they hold no good or bad value. They are just they.

But once anything enters in our mind become good or bad and that’s the reason people say,

“There is a power in knowing it is possible to view any single thing in multiple ways”

3. You are as good as dead if:

I have seen people often say on social media that ‘I am alone but enough’, ‘I can live without anyone.’

If you are one such person, hey, you are not alone. I have been there too. I used to think I can enjoy my life all by myself, I don’t need people around me but then I came across this one question from The Comfort Book which goes like,

“How do I stay alive for other people If I have no one?”

This beautiful life is a precious gift that we are supposed to enjoy with our loved ones but have you ever wondered what your future will look like if you keep pushing people away from you. I know and can understand that you should not compromise with your self-respect but can’t you let go of your ego to save a beautiful bond?

I remember when I was in college, one of my friends thought that I spoke roughly with her (even when I didn’t). She then narrated this one incident to our entire friend circle.

Although, I had other friends and was too strong-headed to feel broke after this incident. Yet, I called my friend and said ‘I am so sorry if any of my word hurt you and please know that you are more valuable to me than anything’

Some people might oppose me but I bent down my ego after remembering the past incidents when she was standing with me.

Besides, we have very little time on this earth, why waste it on stupid egoistic arguments?

4. Stay alive for your new version:

Be it you or me, we all have faced adverse situations in our life at least once. There must be times when you feel like, ‘you cannot go on anymore’ but these are the times when you need to take a pause, close your eyes and visualize ‘how your past version has worked hard to reach where you are and how your future version is waiting for you to fight against everything and come stronger”

Speaking from my own experience, my childhood and early teenage years were really horrible in terms of career pressure. All my relatives had only one job and that was to compare me with others and tell me enough times that ‘I cannot do anything in life’

But things change. You are reading an article of a boy who was dumb as hell.

Although adverse situations still happen with me and I feel stuck but after reading this book I realized that I have to keep going on for the past version of me who has gone through so much yet never gave up and for the future version of myself who is waiting to conquer the world.

Get up because the world is waiting to be conquered.

 

For Dr. Chitemwa K, <3 ..