It feels like I’m writing to a friend I haven’t talked to for a long time, because it’s been a
while since I last wrote on my blog. During this time, the new year was celebrated, I went on
a short trip with my friends to a new country for the first time, and I also welcomed the new
year here in Slovenia with them – another first for me-.

This vlog will be like an old diary for me in the future, so I want to keep it updated for my
future self, Zeynep. But about what? My current thoughts and experiences.

Lately, while thinking about the idea of belonging somewhere, I realized that our sense of
time and place are actually concepts we create in our minds. The only moment we truly live
in is “now,” and since we can only change the present moment, the only time we actually
have control over is the minutes, seconds, and hours we are living right now.

We often find ourselves making plans for the future, which usually feels hopeful and
motivating to me , while also analyzing the past: thinking about good or bad memories,
overanalyzing them, creating hypotheses, asking “what if,” and living with the consequences
of decisions we can no longer change.

So what is really in our control? Our future or our present moment? While drifting through
these thoughts, I realized that the only thing that shapes our future is the present moment.
Overthinking the past has never taken me anywhere, instead, it has made me more
pessimistic and anxious. So what was the key to having a healthier mindset for me? Of
course, the time period I always overlooked: the present moment.

I believe that habits which help me feel present during the day and give me a calmer, clearer
mindset can only come from a functional and rested mind. And thinking with a calm mind is
one of the best investments we can make for our future selves.

So which habits are good for my mind and way of thinking? Moments when I feel present and
enjoy myself usually start with a blank page. Sometimes I fill that blank page with drawings,
colors or words like emptying the trash daily, pouring the thoughts in my mind onto paper.
Watching the colors and words appear helps me feel present and gives me a more rested
mind for those moments of the day.

Since this also lifts my mood, I think this habit creates a very important time for a healthy
mindset. Sometimes this changes and it can also be going for a walk while listening to my
favorite songs or doing meditation.

Creating moments every day where I am alone with myself and listen to my mind makes me
feel good. I also think focusing more on how I feel rather than what happens helps me
understand myself better. I guess at every age, we have a different version of ourselves in
our minds. Every year, with what we learn and experience, we become a different version of
ourselves — we transform.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the connections I build with people I enjoy spending time
with help shape my life here and allow me to gain meaningful and beautiful experiences.

 

As you can see in the collage I prepared for this blog, during the Christmas season I visited
Zagreb, the first country I traveled to with my friends. I collected many beautiful memories
there that I know I will always remember.

 

While resting in a café, you can imagine how excited and happy I was when I saw salep on
the menu, which is very popular drink in Turkey during the winter season. On cold days like
these, salep has always been one of my favorite go-to drinks.

For those who are curious about what it is: it is made from salep flour, which is produced by
grinding the dried tubers of wild orchids. Historically, it has been used as a remedy for
coughs, bronchitis and digestive issues . It tastes like hot chocolate with white chocolate but
even better. We add cinnamon on top, which makes it even more delicious. I highly
recommend it! As you remember, I try to add a song to each of my blog, but this time I would
like to add a solo piano, no lyrics, which I have been listening to lately .

~ SYML – I Wanted to Leave ~

– Zeynep,

ESC prostovoljka