Autumn has arrived, the percentage of grey skies is increasing and everything seems to be getting more serious. At least it feels that way to me. It could be that the world is turning the same way it always has, but these days it feels like there's so much to do - on both a societal and individual level - that what I'm doing is never enough. Of course, I'm just one person, and a very lazy one at that, but it seems that whenever something is finished, twenty-seven new challenges arise. I know that's what the neoliberal hustle and bustle society tells us to think, but I don't want to see life as an accumulation of problems. Life shouldn't feel like a burden (at least for someone living in an extremely wealthy country in the western world). At the same time, I don't want to close my eyes and doors to all the tasks that come my way and retreat into a lethargic hole of apathy. So what's the way forward? - Even if the media + people tell you to toughen up: So
Pressure. Pushing down on me. Really? When I take a closer look at who or what is putting me under pressure, I realize that... it's actually me. There's no one else who demands such unrealistic things from me than me myself. Well, there are people who expect things from me, but the only person who decides a) whether or not to accept and fulfil these expectations, b) to what extent (of perfection) and c) to add extra tasks is ME. Moreover, what characterizes the expectations I have on myself is that firstly, they are vague, so it's never clear when they are fulfilled, and secondly, they are completely unrealistic. Who would expect you to face ALL your fears in just ONE day? Maybe I'll even write a book and climb the Mont Blanc in the same day if I get to it. The thing is: They feel like they come from the outside world, and they feel real. They're threatening and always imply some terrible outcome happening if I don't do X or fulfil condition Y. Nobody wants