ways to cope with the inevitable passage of time
photo by arantxa villa
ways to cope with the inevitable passage of time
fourth year priya desai
google “ways to cope with the inevitable passage of time” and ignore the fact that the first article that comes up has turned the human condition into a diagnosis of “time anxiety.” read the article anyway. ignore every suggestion, especially when mindfulness is suggested.
regress into the worst possible version of yourself. listen to no one’s advice except your own. start a fight with your best friend. apologize. start over.
do every drug that you’ve wanted to try before you’re too old and then it’s kind of weird. be safe about it – you’re not trying to die, you just want to have a little fun.
take the writing on the sidewalk as a sign from the universe. take the sticker on the laptop of the girl sitting across from you as a sign from the universe. take the 3:33 on the clock as a sign from the universe. interpret these signs in a way that serves you.
rekindle your friendships with people who were mean to you in high school. feel shocked when they continue to be mean to you. remove them from your life and call it a lesson.
blame your inner child for the hurt you still feel over things that aren’t really that big of a deal. fantasize about killing her. realize that those things might actually be a big deal to you. apologize. start over.
find a therapist and feel your life change for the better. try not to think about how you will need a new therapist once you move away. try not to think about moving away. leave each session with a newfound ability to talk about your feelings.
watch the perks of being a wallflower. watch every other coming of age movie that you can think of. go to sleep thinking about how you will never again be a teenager.
become so obsessed with the idea of coming of age that you throw a themed birthday party where everyone has to dress as a character from a coming of age movie. cherish the fact that your friends indulge you in this.
accept the fact that you will hate your birthday every year, no matter what party you throw.
only listen to the songs that your older siblings played when you were 10 years old. ignore your friends when they point out that your definition of “happy music” vastly differs from their own.
take an art class for fun and enjoy making something with your hands. display your creation proudly in your home, especially if it’s ugly.
download a dating app for the validation. feel disgusted with yourself. feel even more disgusted by your options. delete said dating app in favor of meeting someone organically. wonder if that even happens anymore.
read more poetry. listen to mary oliver when she writes “joy is not made to be a crumb.” document the things that bring you joy.
buy some crystals, even if you don’t really believe they work. look up your birth chart. receive a tarot reading from a friend. describe yourself as “spiritual, not religious” for half a year—then realize you aren’t sure what that actually means. remain undecided in your beliefs, but keep a piece of clear quartz in the center console of your car all the same.
realize that taking a walk will always make you feel better. take a walk.
become obsessed with documenting the present. start journaling. take more pictures. buy a film camera to capture life’s little moments. get really into film photography, even though you aren’t really good at photography. develop a superiority complex regarding your film camera.
vow to stop apologizing for having emotions. cry in public without shame: in your car at a stoplight, on a bench outside the library, walking out of the grocery store, at the airport, etc.
accept that the way your body looks is probably the way your body is supposed to look. start buying clothes that make you feel good.
appreciate beauty freely and openly, wherever it finds you. compliment your professor’s haircut. tell the person walking past you on the sidewalk that you like their outfit. swipe up on every instagram story selfie without shame. stare at yourself in the mirror without looking away.
go to the movies alone. go to dinner alone. go to a poetry reading alone. attempt to become comfortable spending time with no one but yourself. feel relieved when your roommates get home.
accept the fact that there is a part of you that will always feel twelve years old. accept that there are parts of you that you haven’t met yet. do your best to love them all.