Sunday 01 / February / 2026
Mood swings run like an invisible pendulum moving from one mental status to another in a chorus of thoughts.
We know that the mind packs enough ammunition in a mental battlefield like a real war zone where every thought resonant like gunshots.
Of course, one is never alone in the mental turmoil. There are others fighting off the same thing but not in the same battlefield. Those who say that keeping an 'open mind' helps do not really consider the implications.
To me, leaving the doors of your mental faculties ajar invites unwanted provocations. On the other hand, a 'closed mind' can really work out well for you. It may be the defence you are looking for to keep adversary thoughts at bay.
I guess we are playing with words but phrases spoken in the privacy of the mind determines the mental state of affairs. We don't see our faces but the cheerful mask we try to maintain sometimes slips to show the deep lines of concern. The real problem is that as we go interacting with one another, we provide a bridge for a train of thoughts to travel up and down.
It is these thoughts that keep calling at the stations of our minds to disrupt the routine. I used to sit on the beach and focus on the waves and was able to think of nothing. That was twenty years ago. Now, every ripple of the water reminds me of unfinished business. Something I have to say or do urges me to take immediate action.
Perhaps the core of our well being depends on our ability to flush out unwanted feelings. It is easy to say that than doing it. When the mind is on the high gear of demolition only one thing can save you. Embark on the road of selfishness. The mental stress disappears when you only have to think of yourself and the rest can burn in the eternal fires.
At least temporary until you are convinced that you can put your house in order when you want to. Giving yourself a priority and not the welfare of others restrict the traffic to the channel of thoughts. It should not be exactly a one way street but a few barriers on the right places can pay a good dividend. To learn not to do many favours to people is one example. To oblige to personal indulgences, if not done in excess, is the other example.
Hence, a certain degree of selfishness may be the only way forward when the roof threatens to cave in. After all, you mend your fence first before you consider fixing your neighbour's wall. Sometimes, it pays to give the pendulum a rest. While we cannot completely disregard family obligations and professional problems, at least they can stay in the queue for a while.
In theory, only a fool can mess up with the mind. In reality, most of us are complete fools when it comes to mental health. The mind is like a sponge, it soaks up a lot of weight but splashes out at the slightest pressure. As for me, I am caught between selfishness and consideration for others. A limbo that many of us are trapped in a vicious entanglement.
