You all don't understand me! --> Really now?

After being away last week for work, I can now update this blog. However, since November seems even busier than October, I think this entry shall be one of the few ones I’ll be writing in the next month or so. Hopefully, I can sneak in some more entries so you’d still be updated on how I’ll be doing in the next month or so.

In between switching channels a few weeks ago, I had the chance to catch a glimpse of the current state of Filipino telenovelas. They have been a staple in our household ever since I was young. From Mexican to Filipino to Korean to Filipino again, all of them have somewhat influenced my being overtly dramatic at times. Haha. Anyway, I guess rehashing the classics is quite the norm nowadays. It started with Filipinizing foreign telenovelas with Marimar, Rosalinda and Endless Love to name a few. Now, they’re doing Mara Clara again. Hmm, is this really going to be the trend in telenovelas for the coming years?

Moving on, one of the biggest troubles of the lead characters is their ability to not listen to advice. Often, we’d hear the line “Hindi ninyo ako naiintindihan!” (You all don’t understand me!) whenever s/he finds herself/himself spiraling towards catastrophe and the good guys give her/him advice for support. And of course, the supposed hero follows the beat of her/his heart only to be broken at the hands of the villain or by fate. If they have only listened, then so many times the solution would have come easier and the telenovela close earlier. But of course, ratings play a part in dictating the tempo of the show as well.

Remember the times when you’ve felt that nobody would understand how you were feeling at the moment. Did you seek for advice and listened to that advice? Or did you just brush your friends aside and went ahead without even considering what they told you? For all the moments you did not listen a bit, please hit yourself on the head and ask yourself what the hell you were thinking that you could make it on your own without your friends’ advice?

If there’s one thing I learned from my year in depression, it’s to listen to the advice of my friends especially in the occasions they make the most sense. Emotions often cloud our judgment especially during times of distress and depression. We’d often feel that nobody would understand how we’d feel so nobody would know how to best deal with the situation. Such feeling often comes from the fact that we view our problems as an experience unique only to us. Thus, it builds on us having this illusion of being able to carry the load alone only to falter and distress ourselves even further after.

What I’m probably saying here is that it’s okay to seek help and listen in times when you really need some. We aren’t programmed to conquer every problem that we encounter on our own. We should lower our pride and accept the fact that most of the time, we need the advice and help of others to best deal with the situation we are currently facing. It doesn’t mean we’re weak. Matter of fact, it means we are strong and smart because we know that we need others to resolve some of our own issues.

Thus, the next time you feel that nobody understands your predicament, lower your guard and listen to a friend’s sensible advice. Even though they’ll probably never fully understand what you’re going through, at least they’ll be able to provide you with a differing perspective which may lead us to think even better. Heck, sometimes, listening to them is all we ever need to knock some sense into our selves and solve the situation at hand.

As a line from my LSS for PVolt Planning and Evaluation Seminar goes, “We all need somebody to lean on.”