[Things They Don't Teach You at School Series #05] Living with Fluctuations.

Hello. This is One Heart, a piano instructor and mental coach.

“Days when you can't make progress as you'd like”
How do you handle those?
A perspective of living with fluctuations will surely be kind to yourself.

Today, I am bringing you this from the “Life Skills Magazine” note, “Life skills they don't teach you at school”.

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You woke up in the morning, but your body feels heavy...
There are things you have to do, but your energy just isn't keeping up.
You were fine until yesterday, so why do you feel so exhausted today?

“Am I slacking off?”
“I should be doing things properly...”
There are times when feelings of blaming yourself like that come up, aren't there?

But perhaps, that isn't “laziness,” but rather
your body properly telling you its “current voice”.

Our bodies cannot always remain the same.
Changes in seasons and atmospheric pressure, hormonal waves, a little lack of sleep, or inner restlessness...
It is natural to fluctuate daily while being influenced by various things.

How we deal with such “fluctuations” is a theme we want to cherish
as we live in this era.

❀ Our bodies are always “fluctuating”

Our bodies are inherently very delicate, complex, and fluctuate daily.

For example, a woman's body experiences changes in hormonal balance due to the menstrual cycle.

Depending on your age, there are also fluctuations during menopause and changes in physical condition. External environments such as atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity also have a significant impact on the body.

This summer, record-breaking heat has continued nationwide. Even if you intend to spend your time just as you always do,

the body consumes energy just by being in high temperatures.

Feeling sleepy, lacking motivation, or having a foggy head... That is neither 'all in your head' nor 'laziness,' but rather
a 'reaction' resulting from your body working hard.

Furthermore, the autonomic nervous system is easily affected, and
invisible factors such as lack of sleep or unresolved stress can accumulate and cause 'vague malaise'.

But we tend to forget this. 'I was fine yesterday, so I should be able to move today,' 'I rested properly, so why am I so sluggish?'... In that way, we

use 'as usual' as our standard
.

But let's pause and think for a moment.

Even plants wilt their leaves on scorching days to try to protect their moisture. The sea and the sky also change their expressions every day. Our bodies, too,

naturally have 'waves' as part of nature.

Having waves is not a bad thing; rather, it is 'proof that you are truly alive'.

There is no need to view days when you "cannot move as you would like" as
a failure or a sign of weakness.
It is, in fact,proof that your body is communicating its "current needs".

❀ Why do we feel like we "must not rest"?

"I might be feeling a bit rough today."
Even when you feel that way, aren't you telling yourself something like this somewhere inside?

"But I have to do it."
"If I try hard enough, I should be able to."
"If I take a break for something like this, people might think I'm a failure."

That habit of prioritizing"what needs to be done"over the voice of your body.
Actually, this is not because of your personality or a lack of willpower.

Our brains have a mechanism called"homeostasis (maintenance of stability)".
This is"an instinctive function that tries to maintain the current state as much as possible".

Just as you sweat when the temperature rises and shiver when it gets cold,
your body is built to unconsciously "keep things constant."

This mechanism also works for our minds and behaviors,judging change or stagnation as "dangerous."

Therefore, when you try to stop and pause,
it is actually natural for your body to unconsciously apply the brakes,
asking, "Is that really okay?" or "You should go back to how things were."

Furthermore, the more serious you are and the stronger your sense of responsibility,
the easier it becomes to hold onto assumptions like "I must do this properly" or "I must not rest."

In the background, there is a
"silent message"that "effort is a virtue" and "working hard is the right thing to do" from parents, schools, workplaces, and society as a whole, which has been deeply ingrained within us.

...That is precisely why
feeling guilty about resting is not your fault.

And what is important here is
not to force yourself to silence the voice that says "I have to do this".

That voice is the "memory of your hard work" that has protected you all this time. That is why you should say this to it.

"Yes, I understand. But today, I'm going to rest just a little bit."
"Right now, 'stopping' is what I need to move forward."

Without denying the voice of "I have to do this," but without getting caught up in it, gently set it aside. That choice might be what it truly means to
"cherish yourself".

❀ Three self-care options for living with fluctuation

"Maybe I can't do it today..."
What should you do on days when you feel like that?

On days when you can't work hard, on days when you feel like blaming yourself.
At times like that, it is important to focus on "recovery" rather than trying to change your "mood".

Here, I will introduce three options for living with "fluctuation".

1. Rescheduling. The power to forgive yourself by saying, "50% is okay today."

On days when you can't move at your usual pace, you don't have to force yourself to catch up. The flexibility of
adjusting your schedule to the rhythm that suits you that day will protect you.

By telling yourself, "50% is fine today" or "doing the bare minimum is okay," you give yourself permission to take it easy in advance.
By doing this, space for gradual recovery begins to emerge.

2. Visualizing your mood through journaling

When you feel vaguely uneasy, leaving your emotions and thoughts as they are can lead to further confusion or anxiety.

In such times, I recommend writing down your current mood in a notebook. By

putting vague feelings into words and making them visible, such as "I'm tired," "I'm feeling rushed," or "I might be feeling down because I'm comparing myself to others," your state of mind can become clearer and you may feel more at ease.

Please try asking yourself gently, "How am I feeling right now?"

3. Incorporating small "self-care habits"

On days when you aren't feeling your best, even if you can't do anything big, it is very important to
incorporate a little bit of gentle time for yourself.

For example...

• Brew your favorite tea slowly and drink it while enjoying the aroma.

• Open the curtains and let the sunlight hit your face.

• If you notice you've been hunched over, take a slow, deep breath.

Even just a few minutes is fine.
Small actions that gently cater to your own comfort can be the catalyst for recovery.

On days when I feel my own physical condition is fluctuating,
I sometimes do more stretching than usual,
or I might intentionally go for a drive to go shopping a bit further away.

Especially when my body feels heavy, I have a feeling that by moving it gently, my inner self gradually aligns itself.

You don't have to feel like you "must do something special."
Try choosing "something that feels just a little bit comfortable for you right now".
Even just doing that can flip the switch for recovery before you even realize it.

We tend to try to "do something about our current mood."
But, the more you try to control your mood, the more complicated it becomes.

That is precisely why, instead of "fixing" it, you should "surrender" to it.
Instead of trying to "change" it, try to "let it recover."

Living while accepting your own fluctuations in that way
might, in the end, be the most natural and relaxed form of "vitality".

"Stopping" is also a part of life

Days when you can't move, days when you don't want to do anything.
It might certainly look like you aren't moving forward.

But, is that really the case?

Just as a river sometimes swirls or its flow slows down.
Just as ocean waves come in and go back out.
I believe that life, too, is something that moves forward slowly while stopping and swaying.

There are views you can only notice because you took a break.
There are emotions and true inner voices you could only see because you stopped.

Days when you can't give your best.
Days when you couldn't easily get out of bed.
Days when you just didn't feel like doing anything.

Even those dayshave their own meaning.

We live while fluctuating like waves.
Running at the same pace forever is unnatural to begin with.

Because there are waves, we can move forward.
Because the flow stops, we can start moving again.

Thinking of it that way,the moments that look like you are "stopped" might actually be a part of life and a form of moving forward.

The "you who cannot move" and the "days when you couldn't do anything" are
important pieces that make up who you are.

Living while embracing your fluctuations rather than denying them is,
I believe, one of the"skills"for living flexibly in the coming era.

❀ Conclusion. The "me who stops" is also living

Recently, even if there are days when I can't move much,
I've become able to say to myself, "Today is a day where I don't have to fight."

In the past, I would be filled with guilt,
and I feel like I often criticized myself, saying, "This is not good enough."

But now, I've come to feel that "having waves is natural," and I've also come to want to cherish
“time that appears to be standing still”.

I would be happy if this article could deliver even a gentle breeze to the heart of someone who feels, "I can't move today..."

We are moving forward properly, even while fluctuating.
I hope we can continue to confirm that together.

May you have a day filled with love today as well.

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✧˙⁎⋆Recommended notes to read together

✧For you who want to face "emotional fluctuations" more gently
"What exactly is the emotion called anxiety?"
(Paid content from the middle)

Anxiety is not just a "negative mood."
It is actually an emotion deeply related to brain mechanisms and the "fear of the unknown."
This is an article that gently unravels the true nature of anxiety for those who tend to be swallowed by waves of emotion.

✧For you who want to gradually forgive yourself for not being able to do your best

"How to spend a 'day of not trying.' ~A good relationship between 'me' and my physical condition~"
(Published in the 'Philosophy of Self-Care ~Recommendation for Letting Go~' magazine. Paid content from the middle)

Days when you feel like "I'm not feeling well = I can't do anything = I have no value."
How should you face yourself at such times?
This is an article that re-examines the relationship between physical condition and the heart from the perspective of "self-care."

✧For you who want to cherish "my own voice" more

Listen to your inner voice. To connect with your true self.

Perhaps you stopped hearing your inner voice precisely because you have been trying so hard.
Use this as an opportunity to pause and reclaim a 'gentle dialogue' with yourself.

#PhysicalFluctuations #AutonomicNerves #HormonalBalance #Resting #SelfCare
#Mindfulness #MindAndBody #LivingWithoutOverdoingIt #DontBlameYourself
#MentalSelfCare #LivingSkills #NotTaughtAtSchool #SelfCare
#LivingWithFluctuations #BodyRhythm