100 reasons to stay alive - a tool for hope
Have you ever felt lost and help less?
Have you ever felt like the world has lost its color?
Struggling with darkness doesn't mean you have to stay there. Creating a list of 100 reasons to keep going can be a powerful tool for you to rediscover the beauty in life. How come?
- Shifts Perspective: Life can feel overwhelming when you're down. Listing reasons to live forces you to focus on the positive aspects, big or small, that make life worth experiencing.
- Self-Discovery: The process of creating the list can be a journey of self-reflection. It helps you identify the things that bring you joy, the relationships that matter, and the goals you have for the future.
- Coping Mechanism: When things get tough, you can revisit your list. It's a tangible reminder of the reasons to keep going, offering a sense of hope and purpose.
- Focus on the Good: Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, but it has beauty and joy. Writing the list encourages you to appreciate the good things, big or small, that make life worth living.
How to start? Here are some additional points to consider:
- It's Personal: There's no right or wrong answer, no good or bad answer. Your list should reflect the things that are unique and important to you. Your list should reflect what makes YOU smile.
- Start Small: Don't feel pressured to write 100 reasons at once. Start with a few and gradually add more as you go.
- Keep it Accessible: Put your list somewhere you can easily see it, like a notebook you carry with you or a note on your fridge.
My list of 100 reasons to live:
1. to be along the side of my parents
2. to conquer my fears of failure
3. to have my own family one day
4. to see my favorite artist live (specifically He Jiong, Jia Ling, Karen Mok, Trevor Noah)
5. to listen to music and dance
6. to experience a new culture
7. to make new friends
8. to enjoy good conversations
9. to have my own children
10. to pet my cats and listen to them purring
11. to make myself proud
12. to go and see the Northern Lights
13. to laugh until I cry
14. to feel tears of happiness
15. to enjoy my favorite food
16. to see my siblings getting married
17. to facilitate my workshops
18. to get a tattoo
19. to smile until my cheeks hurt
20. to meet my internet friends and colleagues
21. to find someone who loves me as I deserve
22. to eat ice cream on a hot day
23. to drink hot chocolate on a cold day
24. to see untouched snow in the morning
25. to see a sunset that sets the sky on fire
26. to see stars light up the sky
27. to read a really good book
28. to see the flowers in the spring
29. to see the leaves change from green to brown
30. to travel abroad
31. to learn a new language
32. to learn to draw
33. to tell others my story
34. to publish my books
35. to enjoy baby kisses (theo pen-mouthed kind when they smack their lips on your cheek)
36. to swear and feel the release when you say them
37. to get on trampolines
38. to try out stand-up comedy
39. to stargaze
40. to watch clouds flow by
41. to take a shower and then sleep in clean sheets and warm bed
42. to receive thoughtful gifts
43. to send this text “I saw this and thought of you."
44. to experience the feeling you getwhen someone you love says, “I love you."
45. to feel the relief after crying
46. to feel the sun and the wind on myface
47. to feel listened when someone is giving you their full attention.
48. to love and laugh in my future wedding
49. to eat my mom's food
50. to look at myself in new clothes
51. to have a short haircut and feel the hair leaving my head
52. to enjoy really good dumplings
53. to hold my child in my arms for the first time
54. to get promotion
55. to dream the kind of dreams where you wake up and can’t stop smiling
56. to smell before and after it rains
57. to listen to the sound of rain against a rooftop
58. to dance
59. to be with the people that mean the most to me
60. to try out new recipes
61. to feel fabulous when my favorite song comes up randomly
62. to feel the rush you get when you step onto a stage
63. to share your voice and talents and knowledge with the world because they are so valuable
64. to have breakfast in bed
65. to watch movie in the movie theater
66. to eat breakfast for dinner (because it’s so much better at night than in the morning)
67. to kiss
68. to forgive
69. to play silly games
70. to read the new released books by my favorite authors
71. to swim in the ocean again
72. to sing 'Happy Birthday' songs to my loved ones
73. to realize that someone loves me
74. to spend more days with someone like me
75. to create meaningful and lasting relationships
76. to learn, grow, and evolve as a person
77. to find joy and happiness in the little things
78. to go for a hike and be in nature
79. to do more theatre stuffs
80. to hug tree and feel the energy flows through
81. to make a positive impact on the environment and help protect the planet
82. to experience the joys of parenthood and raise a family
83. to learn new things and develop newskills
84. to create a legacy
85. to watch my favorite movies again
86. to cuddles
87. to hold hands
88. to hug - the kind of hugs when youcan feel a weight being lifted off your shoulders; the kind of hug where your breath syncs with the other person’s, and you feel like the only two people in the world
89. to do karaoke, sing off-key with mybest friends
90. to visit Russia and China again
91. to go on spontaneous adventures
92. to feel the sand beneath my toes
93. to feel when the first ocean waverolls up and envelops your toes and ankles and knees
94. to see thunderstorms
95. to ride on roller coasters
96. to ride bicycles
97. to wear ao dai again
98. to say thank you to others
99. to give compliments and praise
100. to look at this moment in 10 years' time and realize I did it
If you're considering creating a list of reasons to stay alive, it might be a sign that you're looking for ways to cope. There are also resources available to help, such as crisis hotlines ormental health professionals. You don't have to go through this alone.