So, are you okay? Is everything fine with you?

Wondering why I am asking this question today? Well, Yesterday, while coming across one of the interviews that Booxoul had recently conducted, I came across a question we had asked therein, which seemed to freeze me halfway through what I was doing then, making me stop and think about the repercussions it held. The question by itself was pretty simple: Are you okay? Is everything fine with you?

Taking me back to the very genesis of our existence, aka “Where do we come from, where are we going?” This one pushed my thought process into different realms. Yes, in today’s fast-paced life, we simply choose to go on, day in and day out, chasing targets, meeting deadlines, and forgetting to address the most important thing in the process—ourselves. What begins as a relentless pursuit somehow tends to confluence into a bottomless pit of sorts, where we simply end up losing ourselves. So, I still ask you the same question again—are you okay? Is everything fine with you?

I sincerely feel that working towards the well-being of one’s mental health is one of the most essential pursuits one needs to be working towards when it comes to holistic and healthy mental well-being. Thus, I wish to share a bit about intentional living, the next step to holistic, healthy mental well-being.

I have always felt that the onset of technology has been both a boon and a bane since it seems to have not only made us distant from all we pine for in life (be it other people’s company, emotions, or physical touch), but it has also made us so robotic that the disasters of the overfatigue of technology are being seen and felt very strongly as it progresses manifold each day. We seem to be caught up in an endless loop of doing this and that and delivering, and we seem to have forgotten our very own selves in the process. We have failed to “pause and breathe”, taking that break once in a while, even sitting with a thoughtless awareness without doing anything at a time.

The result? Well, we seem to be getting pushed into an endless abyss of stress and depression, from which there is simply no going back.

I am wondering why I am getting into such intense talks with you guys today. Well, I have been doing a bit of research myself, having reflected upon the above myself, and happened to come across the term intentional living, which I found fascinating. You may be wondering, What is this fancy term coined for? And why is she putting one across to us? I first came across this term for the first time at a renowned blogger’s handle and stories, where I got curious to find out more about it. Having followed and learned from her regularly for the past year, I set about finding out more about it.

Well, intentional living means building one’s life around one’s core beliefs and values, according to Shelley Meche’tte, a certified life coach from Los Angeles who is also the author of the book “70 Days of Happy.”

She further iterates that on a day-to-day basis, intentional living might look like not merely existing or acting on impulse but rather commanding one’s day. It translates to executing more value-based actions, like, for instance, incorporating one’s favourite activities into their schedule to ensure that one prioritizes self-care. It also refers to fostering one’s relationship with God and one’s community, both of which are equally important.

Benefits of intentional living

Having several mental health benefits, intentional living lowers one’s stress. That is because one simply stops weighing the pros and cons of every decision, which is the cause of stress and anxiety each time.

• More value-based actions: This, again, being the “ripple effect” of this exercise, promotes an elevated ability to manage stressful life events.
• Access to power: Living with intention gives one access to infinite power, which is another reason to adhere to this one.
• In tandem: Adopting intentional living also helps us feel more in tune with our present scenario, making us more privy to our present and thereby creating a sense of agency in our lives.

Well, it is also true that intentional living will not be a joyous or calming experience right from the onset. It can be daunting, awkward, challenging, or even frustrating in the beginning. However, once a person starts getting closer to the core of their problems and understands the issues and challenges they face, it becomes better. One simply needs to keep going and keep reminding themselves that they are building something better and bigger out of their life—a life with an intention and a purpose.

So, how does one practice intentional living?

• Identifying one’s value set
• Tuning out negativity
• Pause and refocus
• Making a vision and motto board
• Self-kindness
• Make small changes, slowly but gradually

All of the above and many more shall be discussed in depth and detail every week, where I shall guide you all, after thorough research, to introduce, practise, and blend all of the above, step by step, bit by bit, in your life. There is no need to introduce all of it hastily at once. Intentional living is a gradual, slow process that needs to be done mindfully.

So, here are some of my views today on intentional living, the next step to holistic, healthy mental well-being. Stay tuned with us right here at Booxoul as we are planning to get more of these mental and physical health-related articles for you all regularly, along with your usual dose of the latest in the fields of entertainment, travel, lifestyle, education, fun, finance, fashion, tech and gadgets, health, as well as all things bookish.

Adios Amigos!