Every individual here on earth have, in one way or another, experienced
some hardships or tough times in life, whether it be about school, about
family, about career, or about love. Tough times may vary from one person to
the other. What you consider a major problem may just be a minor one to some
and a 'matter of life and
death' kind of thing for you
may just be a 'walk in the
park' kind of thing to
someone else. Whether it is a major or a minor problem, I am pretty sure that
you have dealt with a mind-boggling, energy draining, what-to-choose,
where-to-go, I-don't-know-anymore, and please-help-me kind of situation at
least once in your life and I, just like all the other people out there, am not
an exception from this.
Yes, just recently, I
have experienced being tormented by overwhelming thoughts and decisions. Blank
stares happened quite often whenever I am alone or have nothing to do and there
were a number of sleepless nights caused by overthinking and some fear of the
unknown. With that, I chose to write this not to tell you about the
problem that has brought me in such a low point, but to share with you how I
managed to hold on and keep it all together.
So what does a 23-year old do when he/she is experiencing some tough
times? Well, I could not really speak on behalf of all those in their early
twenties because everyone has their own way of coping up. Some of them are
already so mature that they easily deal with anything that life throws at them
while there are some who knows that they are not teens anymore but still cannot
consider themselves as adults just yet. So let me just share with you my ways
of coping:
1. Eating
Many people eat whenever they feel down and I am one of them. Food
is a trusted stress reliever, which gives me immediate comfort and alleviation
of stress. Whenever I go out, I always look forward to eating. I, basically,
eat anything provided that it's not poison, but I am also keeping in mind to
set just an appropriate budget for food tripping to avoid overspending and
becoming gluttonous.
2. Spending time with a close friend or a family member
From time to time, we also need to vent our
feelings to someone we can rely on. As for me, I am so blessed to have a number
of close friends whom I can trust, a father whom I can goof around with and
invite into spontaneous trips, and a mother who just knows what I'm feeling
even without me saying it. These kind of people helps a lot in easing the
burden that we feel whenever we are down, and even though they cannot provide
us with the exact solution to our problems, it's a relief to know that you have
someone to lean on.
3. Praying
As I have said earlier, it is good to vent your
feelings, but there are times when you just don't want to express anything to
anyone at all. At times, I refrain from sharing because I am afraid of being
criticized or misunderstood or sometimes, I feel that talking about my problems
will only aggravate the problem itself. So, I end up not expressing at all. But
whatever the reason is, whenever I feel like shutting my whole world to others,
I always go to a quiet place and pray. In praying, I am able to say anything to
God without the fear of being judged. I can cry, shout, and be completely true
to my emotions. Also in praying, I am able to offer everything to God and leave
it all in His will.
But aside from those mentioned above, there are still 3 things that have
truly helped me in keeping myself together in the past few days and these are: Running Man, EXO, and SHINee!
For some of you, you might be wondering what Running Man, EXO, and
SHINee are so, allow me to give a brief introduction of them. Running Man is a variety show in South Korea with
games and missions as its theme. The seven permanent cast of this show (Yoo Jae
Suk, Ji Suk Jin, Song Ji Hyo, Kim Jong Kook, Lee Kwang Soo, Haha, and Gary)
battle against each other or go against different set of guests through a
series of mission for a coveted prize at the end of each episode while EXO and SHINee are male K-Pop groups, which are also
from South Korea. EXO is a current 9-member group (consisting of Suho, Xiumin,
Lay, DO, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kai, Chen, and Sehun) under SM Entertainment while
SHINee is a 5-member group (consisting of Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho, and
Taemin) under the same agency.
So how did they, exactly, help?
 |
| Running Man (photo credit: koreaboo.com) |
It was one of my cousins who introduced me in watching
Running Man and I tell you, once you have watched one whole episode, you cannot
help but ask for more. Their missions are a mixture of physical strength and mind-blowing
puzzles, which make the audience, like me, jump out of their seats because of
excitement. It is also undeniable that this show is very funny that even though
the mood of the episode is quite serious, you'll still end up laughing because
of the unexpected twist of events courtesy of the cast, most especially their
resident comedian, Lee Kwang Soo. The whole show is composed of humor, skills,
wit, and charm altogether. Watching this is, truly, a stress reliever for me!
 |
| EXO (photo credit: koreaboo.com) |
 |
| SHINee (photo credit: soompi.com) |
For EXO and SHINee, I have to say that I’m quite surprised, myself. To
be honest, I wasn't really into K-Pop (Korean Pop) before. I have a number of
friends who are really K-Pop fans, but no matter how much they try to introduce
K-Pop groups and sing K-Pop songs to me, I just always end up knowing
"Sorry, Sorry" by Super Junior, "Gee" by Girl's Generation,
and "Gangnam Style" by Psy. So I guess, liking EXO and SHINee was an
accident, but somehow, a blessing in disguise as well.
It happened one day when I was browsing through YouTube and got curious
about a music video entitled "Call Me Baby" by EXO. I played the
video and right then and there, it got me. I cannot really understand the
lyrics, except for the English words, but I really loved the beat and the melody.
Plus, the dance that comes along with it was, undeniably, great! Right after
that, I started searching for their other songs and, to tell you the truth, I
really liked them. While searching for other EXO songs, I came across “Everybody”
and “View” of SHINee, which made me become interested in their group as well. A
song, usually, gets me through its melody even without watching its music
video, but when I started searching for more EXO and SHINee music videos, I
became more fascinated by them because of the members who are really good-looking
and charismatic. Some people may love the members individually but you cannot
take away their charm as a group.
Aside from the fact that they sing good songs with unique melodies and
remarkable dance moves, I can’t really explain how they ease my burden when
listening to them. You may call me weird but it’s like magic. Listening to them
or watching their music videos give me a sense of relief, as if someone is telling
me that no matter how tough my day has been, I should just take it easy because
everything is going to be alright. Like what I have said, I cannot understand
their lyrics that much but their catchy melodies bring me to a whole new world
where I do not have to think about anything. It’s like a quick escape from
reality that you can instantly get without the need to go to far places. I guess I am a fan now. J
That’s, basically, it! If ever you experience some tough times lately,
you may want to try watching Running Man or try listening to EXO or SHINee if
you still haven’t. I may not know much yet but I hope to be able to know more
about them as days go by. I am also planning to visit South Korea in the future and I think it
would be very nice to meet them and thank them personally, right? I know it’s
quite too much to ask but who knows? *wink* I would really love to meet them personally! J Blank stares,
overthinking, and sleepless nights were lessened because of Running Man, EXO, and SHINee. Kamsahamnida! Saranghamnida! (Thank you! I Love You!)
Tough times are inevitable and dealing with it is like a survival game.
You just have to find things and people who will help you get through them. I
have found mine. I hope you find yours too! J
