i think one of the most important things you can allow yourself to go through is the low points.

these are the moments in your life that feel like inescapable disaster, the times where you try everything and nothing goes like you hope, or where a day can go from average to worse in a series of different events, or a string of bad luck.

everyone has them at one point, and they aren't inherently good or bad things.

they just, are.

this time around in vietnam, the past couple of days i've purposely made myself get rid of the things that "fill the void", meaning no social media, scrolling shorts and youtube as much as i can.

and use the rest of the afternoon to simply, sit.

sit and let the mind bask in boredom, the quiet, with only the sound of the air conditioning running and the occasional chirps of the cicadas outside. if i need some fresh air, i'll go outside to sit on a bench and observe what nature has to offer. at first, it seems nice. stepping away from technology is good for my eyes, and stopping my mind from searching for something to do.

but then, your mind will occupy you in other ways, wondering when the next hit of your phone will help you once again pass the time. if it doesn't get what it wants, then it will start to punish you. for instance, make you think in an depressing state, where "productivity" doesn't exist, how by doing nothing you're losing everything, the onset of FOMO, and how time is money and how by you sitting there is leading to nothing. soon in you're feel like you're in a dead zone.

and don't even get me started on the ridiculous things like how you begin to think you're ultimately a failure in life, followed by imposter syndrome, and then comparing yourself to everyone else's achievements to feel even worse off.

but the inevitable truth of the lows is that they will pass, and you have to believe that they will. because if such points exist, then so do they highs. it's where your version of success lies. where you see yourself thriving, and living, and ultimately demonstrating your own strengths of will.

when there's holes that are dug up in the road, remember that you have the ability to fill them up with something greater. that way, you can look back and see all the light and all that exists around them.