The Day I Dragged My Feet Home

My “Dragging My Feet Home” Experience

This has got to be the most “personal” post to date as it involves, well, my feet. Yes, the picture you see above is none other than my own feet, featured along with my pair of broken slippers.

We are in the thick of the Circuit Breaker here in Singapore, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and I was out getting food for my family when my footwear failed me. Right there, as I stood with the food on one hand and my other hand on the grab rail of the bridge, I found myself struggling with what to make of it.

As I navigate through volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) time now, I often find myself having to put into practice what I preach. If you think that having been through depression and burnout at least 5 times, along with many other life challenges, I should by unfazed by this little episode, well think again. After all, I am human and I thank God that I can stay grounded to the work I do as I apply what I teach to my life.

Walking the Talk & Staying Grounded

In one of the strategies that I shared in the COVID-19 Mental Well-Being Thriving Kit, I suggested considering the positives alongside the negatives. During such a VUCA time as this, little things can cause a great amount of stress and frustration and it is understandably so.

And so, here I was, on one hand, angry with how my footwear has to give way at this point, just as I had my hands full and am trying to navigate down the stairs of the bridge. How was I going to make my way home? Do I go back to the neighbourhood mall to get a new pair of shoes? If so, where do I get them since most shops are closed during this Circuit Breaker? Should I continue my way home by dragging my feet? Will I miss my step and tumble down the stairs? All these were going through my mind as I assessed the situation.

Yet, on the other hand, I find me reminding myself that I can be thankful that I am almost home, that the footwear did not give way at the beginning of the trip (which would have meant that I would need to drag my feet for the whole journey). I am thankful that, amidst the volatile financial situation, I still have a roof over my head and I can still put food on the table for my family. I am thankful that I have footwear and I can still move about. And as I came off the last step of the bridge, I found myself being thankful for how this small incident became such an object lesson for me; a reminder how I should continue to walk the talk (pun intended) as my various life experiences help me stay grounded in what I am sharing with others to build mental resilience.

The True Essence of Mental Resilience

Such is mental resilience, it is not an absence of challenges and trials but the ability to stay afloat even when bad things happen. It is just like what the apostle Paul, who has been through many challenges, says:

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;” ~ The Bible (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, ESV)

“Thriving Kit” for You

Over the last few weeks, I have been working hard to put together resources to give people practice handles to grow their mental resilience and well-being amidst this challenging time. It is not much so a project to bless others, but also to bless myself, as I take the Mental Resilience model I developed before COVID-19 and put it to the test and find reflect on the practical handles for myself too.

If you are keen on the COVID-19 Mental Resilience Thriving Kit (vs “Survival Kit”), filled with 80 practical small tweaks you can make to your life to thrive during this crisis, please feel free to download your free copy at http://tiny.cc/thrivingkit.

Download my Thriving Kit

This and many other resources are also available on our COVID-19 Mental Well-Being Resources page at https://tiny.cc/thrive-over-c19.

Access Mental Well-Being Resources

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James Lim

James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies; a social enterprise that “fuels good”. It does this through Mental Well-Being programmes for individuals and organizations, as well as Strategic Volunteer Partnerships consultancy and training for non-profits.