Things to do when you feel like life isn't going well.

Things to do when you feel like life isn't going well.

I wonder if there has ever been a time as frustrating as these days. Things are stuck and there is no sign of things going well. When you feel like life is not going well, should you just sit there?  

There is no way to drastically change the mood. However, you can clear your mind. 

1. Clean up your surroundings. If you organize, clean up, and organize, your confused mind will be organized and you will feel motivated. It is said that cleaning brings good luck. The clutter around me is an obstacle that blocks my luck. If you clean it up, your life will be unraveled. 

2. Walk, run, or exercise. If you move your body, distracting thoughts will disappear and you will feel motivated. There is nothing better than moving to awaken your lost motivation. It is easy. If you look around, you will see things. Fun, freshness, interest. You will feel motivated to do something again. 

3. Meet people and talk. Not the people you always meet, but people you are not familiar with. People you meet in the neighborhood. Even if it is a trivial matter, if you talk to them with warm words, you can shake off the feeling of being alone. If someone encourages you, can't you do anything? 

4. If you have some money, you can go somewhere. It doesn't have to be a grand 'trip'. You don't have to go far. Just going to a nearby place can change the mood. 

If something isn't going well, it means you're stagnant. You can resolve stagnation with small changes. Change is brought about by doing things you don't usually do, such as cleaning, exercising, meeting people, or traveling. 

I wrote the above article a long time ago. And then I'm in a frustrating situation again. I think about the method I used to think of and try it out. But there's something I have to do before. That is, look up at the sky. First, take a deep breath while looking at the sky, and bring about small changes.  

 

When you feel depressed, look at the sky.

2025.4.14.

Streetlight and Pine Tree

Streetlight and Pine Tree

The public library I often visit is on the outskirts of the city. There aren't many visitors to the library. It used to be crowded. The number of visitors to the library has decreased in just a few years.  

There is a famous tourist attraction nearby. During the day, the area around the library is crowded with tourists. It becomes quiet again in the evening. I went to the library and came out around 8 pm. The parking lot in front of the library was empty and there were no people coming and going.  

I like the quiet inside the library and the quietness in the evening. I walk for a while without meeting anyone. I want to enjoy this kind of time even for a little while every day. I wash away the hustle and bustle in my mind with the quietness of the surroundings.  

The streetlights and pine trees stand quietly. 

Streetlight and Pine Tree

2025.4.14.

Cherry Blossom Full Bloom Shorts Video. Views are not something I can do.

Cherry Blossom Full Bloom Shorts Video. Views are not something I can do. 

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, so I couldn't just pass them by. I filmed a video while walking and uploaded it to YouTube as a short video, but after 5 hours, it only had 15 views. I uploaded 5 short videos in a week, and they all got over 1,000 views. This video was the only one that got strangely low.   

There's no way around this. I deleted the video in the evening. Then I used a video editing program to shorten the video by about 2 seconds and uploaded it again. Then it got over 1,500 views. It's the same video, but the results are different depending on when you upload it. YouTube views are something I can't do anything about. Should I upload a video like a prayer service and pray? 

Thinking about it differently, there's always an opportunity. If you make a good video and upload it, there will come a time when it rains after a drought. 

Cherry blossoms in spring 2025

2025.4.11.

I got some old magazines from the library.

I got some old magazines from the library.

There may be differences depending on the library, but local public libraries do not keep newspapers and magazines for long. The library I go to keeps magazines for two years and no longer. So, at certain times, they give out magazines from two years ago to library users. They limit each person to five, so that they can distribute them evenly to many users. 

This year, they are also giving out magazines from 2023. They put various magazines on a shelf and let people who want to take them. I brought three this time. These are magazines from fields I don't usually read. It's good to be exposed to various fields, there's nothing like magazines. There are countless types of magazines, and I don't have time to read them. I'm taking this opportunity to broaden my interests. 

2025.4.2.

various magazines on a shelf

Old things have emotions. Old things on the walls of Hanok

Old things have emotions. Old things on the walls of Hanok

I was walking around Gongju Hanok Village. Old items were lined up on the walls of buildings. This would be a sight that would catch the eye of people who used to live in the countryside. Houses without separate storages would place and hang items on the walls like this. Now, you can only see these items at museums or living history exhibition halls. 

Old items that are not used are static. They stay still because they capture emotions. My eyes and heart linger on the old appearance, the way I used to live. In the midst of busy, fast-moving times, it would be nice to sometimes linger on old memories. 

2025.3.31.

Old things on the walls of Hanok

This spring, forest fires occur again. Safety information text.

This spring, forest fires occur again. Safety information text.

Everything is fine with the warmer-than-usual spring weather. But there is some unwelcome news. A safety text message. 

A forest fire disaster national crisis alert is at serious level. 

Forest fires are raging on a large scale all over the country. There have been casualties and damage to residents. According to the news, there have been more than 30 forest fires in Chungcheong, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Gangwon, and Gyeonggi. 

Highways near forest fires are completely closed. 

Roads are being closed. How much forest will they burn? 

Wildfire Disaster Alert Text. March 22, 2025

Is spring the season for forest fires? 

Be careful, be careful. I hope there is no more damage. 

And I hope the forest fires are put out quickly. 

However, it seems like the forest fires are just beginning. Soon, we will continue to receive safety text messages about fine dust, yellow dust, and pollen. 

2025.03.23. 

Do you like a big house? or a small house? After Corona, everything has come into the house.

Do you like a big house? or a small house? After Corona, everything has come into the house.

After Corona, big house or small house. 

Everything has come inside the house. 

The COVID-19 situation has changed the way I think about the size of the house. The choice of a big house or a small house is a matter of taste, but when Corona was in full swing, I thought it would be better to have a big house.   

Small house advocates preach the usefulness of small houses for various reasons. They say that, to put it in extreme terms, you can only sleep at home and do everything else outside. Eating out, drinking tea outside, working out at the gym, if you do this, you really only need to sleep in a small house.  

Before COVID-19, small houses were popular. First of all, the increase in single-person households was the biggest factor. People living alone do not need a big house. Minimalism also played a part. People live simply by reducing their belongings, and if they live alone, they do not necessarily need a big house. In addition, as house prices rose, people began to prefer relatively small houses. However, a variable has appeared. 

After COVID-19, society has become non-face-to-face, and all aspects of society are changing. People are more likely to order delivery services than large marts, watch movies at home, exercise at home, and travel at home. As a result, people are naturally drawn to big houses. If you put exercise equipment in a big house and bring things you do outside into the house, it is inevitable that this will happen.  

If you have a lifestyle where you solve a lot of things outside, a small house is fine. However, if non-face-to-face contact is inevitably strengthened and telecommuting becomes more popular, a large house seems more useful than a small house. 

Now that the peak of Corona has passed and things are returning to the previous situation, I am again contemplating whether to have a large house or a small house. A small house is better for my circumstances.  

 

Praise of small houses 

1. Economical.   

Small houses have lower total costs, including construction costs, maintenance costs, and the cost of purchasing appliances and furniture. 

2. Eco-friendly.   

Small houses consume fewer resources. The smaller the size of the house, the less energy is consumed. Small appliances can be used, and recyclable building materials can be used. 

3. Easy to maintain.   

Small houses are easy to maintain. Cleaning, organizing, and maintenance are all done in a small space, so less time and effort is required. 

4. Lifestyle.   

Small houses are suitable for people who pursue a simple life. When the space is small, unnecessary items and distracting habits can be discarded, allowing a simple and clean life. Life is creative, such as coming up with ideas for using small houses effectively. 

5. High mobility.   

Small houses are highly mobile. You can easily move to wherever you want to live. You can freely move your residence, including living there for a month.

 

 

Small house / Tomoya Takamura