Letters for Creatives #23: Go through adversity by taking actions

Plus: Recommended reading

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Hello, I am Celeste. Each week I write about marketing, creativity and writing. You can read the first and second interview for the Interview with an artist series.

Get inspired to write with February prompts here and have a chance to get your writing featured in a future newsletter after you sign up. You will have a free poetry book and Spotify playlist for writing from me in the first email when you sign up. You can read the archive as well.

Image: Kristopher Roller on Unsplash

I have been watching videos of Jordan Peterson for a few years. The way that he thinks and talks about psychology fascinates me. He rarely shows much emotion in his videos but I can feel his passion from the way he talks in lectures, panels or simply a YouTube video. He had his experience with adversity. He was back to filming his YouTube videos and writing his second book after a few months of battling with physical illness.

I listened to his podcast on existentialism and his advice on how to deal with the curve balls that life throw at us at random times. He suggested us to take action to willingly get rid of our fear of adversity in life.

I have been dealing with chronic pain and stress in my personal life for almost a decade. It is a physical and mental challenge for me. Keeping myself busy keeps me from overthinking has been helpful. I hate it when I overthink now but I have learned to cut myself some slacks and deal with the emotions. Finding the balance between work and self-care has been a theme for me for a few years. Working myself to the ground and avoiding to feel any emotions were some ways that I avoid healing. It was not ideal.

Challenging myself to not think during meditation and doing yoga poses that do not look perfect to teach me patience and resilience. It is also the ideal way for me to unplug and relax.

As I willingly challenge myself despite the limitation of my body and stress, I found myself being physically and mentally stronger than I thought. I tend to underestimate my strength and not give myself enough credit for the things I do since my upbringing never taught me how to do that.

I guess what I want to say is that you are already trying your best. Do not let this world of ‘hustle culture’ makes you think that you are not enough. You are enough and the most important things in life are seizing the day and staying healthy and doing what makes you happy.

Recommended reading

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk

The Bhagavad Gita

Featured poem

I released my February writing prompts. Jo wrote a lovely piece for the February theme of valentine and love. Check out Jo’s work if you like her poem below. 

November Nights

The November night our lips met,
for the first time, for almost a month
fireworks in my gut, by the lake
ready to make all the mistakes
running from restrains
with the persistence of teenagers in love
breaking layers, crossing railways
for another smile and more
until it goes, the way it goes

frozen fingertips leaving prints all over our skin
streetlights accentuating your lines, stark contrasts
lies and fears, swallowed tears
in the backseat - our room for dessert -
kissing while the radio predicts our future thoughts
we were just kids when we fell in love

seasons apart, the blue broken by birds
crying crows, crushing charm
sugar rush, hush, hiding ashes
ripping pages - thinking of you -
another headache, exhaling heartache
with my last breath of Camel

our love lasted for twenty-nine days
but for years to come you remained
the thorn I'd bleed for

– Jo

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Until next time,

Celeste

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Published in Soon, A New Day anthology | Capsized anthology