# Inside the loop 

You might have noticed the different shades of the moon. There's that one bright full moon that comes once every month, and then, little by little, it starts fading every day.

It happens all the time, but most of us don't really notice it unless it's extremely bright or almost invisible.

Our lives are quite similar.

Every single day, we go through so many emotions—happiness, anxiety, excitement, fear, wins, failures, laughter, uncertainty, and so much more. Most of them are so subtle that we don't even realise how they slowly shape our state of mind.

I experienced something similar recently.

For almost an entire day, I realised most of my emotions were negative. My mind was full of anxiety, worry, and uncertainty.

The funny thing was that nothing was actually wrong.

Most things in my life were going well. Everything was fine on the outside, but somehow my mind had created a different reality, and I was stuck in that loop without even noticing it.

A few months ago, I went through some difficult challenges.

To overcome them, I changed many things about my lifestyle and my behaviour. I became more disciplined, started following routines, pushed myself harder, and eventually I conquered those challenges.

I was genuinely happy with what I had achieved.

But something inside me hadn't changed.

Deep down, my mind was still living in survival mode.

It was almost as if my instincts didn't know that the difficult phase was over.

When I looked back, I realised why.

The moment I achieved my first milestone, I immediately started chasing another one. My confidence had increased, but I never allowed myself to slow down and enjoy the victory.

I never gave myself time to recover.

Looking back now, I think I was simply burnt out.

That made me realise something very important.

We should all learn to identify our own patterns.

Most of what we experience today is influenced by what we repeatedly think every day. Our mind becomes whatever we feed it the most.

If we constantly feed it worry, it becomes anxious.

If we repeatedly feed it confidence, gratitude, and hope, it slowly starts becoming peaceful.

It reminded me of Newton's First Law of Motion.

An object remains at rest or continues moving in the same direction unless an external force acts upon it.

I think our minds work in a very similar way.

If we're stuck in anxiety, negativity, or self-doubt, we need an external force to interrupt that pattern.

For some people, that could be going to the gym.

For others, it could be singing, spending time with family, taking a walk, reading a book, praying, meditating, or simply doing something they genuinely enjoy.

The activity itself doesn't matter as much as breaking the loop.

Over time, those small actions slowly change your state of mind.

I've also realised that contentment is probably more important than constantly chasing happiness.

Happiness comes and goes.

Contentment stays.

So, my biggest takeaway from all of this is simple.

Identify your patterns.

Whenever you feel stuck, don't just assume life is against you. Pause for a moment and ask yourself, "What loop am I running right now?"

Sometimes, that one question is enough to make you aware of what's really happening.

And if you still can't get out of that loop, don't hesitate to talk to your friends, your loved ones, or even a professional. Asking for help doesn't make you weak; sometimes it simply gives you a perspective that your own mind cannot.

One more thing I learned is that our mind can bluff us.

It can convince us that we're stuck when we're actually making progress.

It can make temporary emotions feel permanent.

That's why it's important to trust yourself, but also listen to the people who genuinely care about you. Sometimes they can see things about us that we simply can't.

Just like the moon, our minds also go through phases.

Some days are brighter than others.

The important thing is to remember that neither phase lasts forever.