What is the difference between the feeling of a Sunday afternoon with that of a Monday afternoon? The former is the unburdened from obligation (mostly) while the latter signals the start of a stretch of it. Take away work, however, and is there any difference in what is left? No. A Sunday is anatomically identical to a Monday. The difference lies in how we perceive those days once the minutiae of our day-to-day responsibilities is layered on top. The take-away is that while not the easiest thing to do, it should be possible to see the glass half-full when we often feel it half-empty.
This feeling is no better represented that the summer holidays we all would have during school. The first day of a three month summer break is one filled with promise and incomparable excitement. Everything we put into the momentousness of that day, however, is all in our head. The same goes for the days leading up to pressure-cooker exams. All that tension is enabled by one thing: ourselves. We get to decide whether a day is exciting or not; whether to let anxiety sink in or to embrace it.
Out of sight; out of mind. It is an aphorism that I have heard the world over. There is perhaps something to it. What I started doing when the world looked glass-half-empty, I just started to repeat certain affirmations to get things in sight and in my mind. They changed day to day and evolved depending on what I had on my plate. If I had something that I felt pressure to perform in, I would something like: I am grateful for the opportunity to share what I learnt in X. I suppose it is similar to setting an intention for the day. It is a simple exercise, but something I have grown to rely on. It is much more effective than it seems like it would be.