In The New Indian Express today. ‘You are enough’

In The New Indian Express today. Thanks Ornella D’Souza for this.

I was really very annoyed with those social media posts that went something on the lines of if you don’t come out of this pandemic without learning a new skill, you lack discipline or you’re lazy or something to that effect. We are all struggling. There’s the anxiety about the situation, the mental health impact of isolation, the reality of being locked 24 x 7 with an abuser for some. There’s the doubling of work for those of us who don’t have full time live in help, there is the uncertainty of the job market, pay cuts, job losses for those in affected industries, there is the worry about the health of immunocompromised loved ones, there is the sheer difficulty of surviving for some. I say, take this as time out from the rat race, allow yourself to do nothing. There is pleasure in not rushing to ‘improve’ yourself all the time, any chance you get. And by letting yourself be, you accept that you are indeed good enough. This is self acceptance we all need.

‘You are enough’

“If I can survive and keep my family fed and watered, for me, that is enough. The rest is just pressure from popular culture that makes everyone seem accomplished, poly glossed, polymaths…,” says author Kiran Manral, who adds that whenever feelings of inadequacy arise, “I tell myself ‘you are enough’ and that has helped me.” Any form of self-improvement, she says, should not stem from FOMO as the initial euphoria can fade if you are not intrinsically driven. “But, if these activities make you feel in control, then wonderful,” she adds.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2020/apr/17/be-what-you-want-to-be-2131281.html