difficulty

Sep

2020

Korean Dramas to Cry Your Heart Out

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Are you having difficulties in your life right now? Is something weighing you down? It is normal for everyone to go through problems in life. That’s just how life is. Challenges are necessary for growth and success. What is important is how we react to these challenges. In order to rise above your difficulties, the first step is to embrace your pain. Embracing your pain means feeling your pain. Yes, it’s okay to not be okay for awhile. Give yourself time to grieve, to be angry, to be sad and to be frustrated. You can also cry your heart out to be mentally strong. Remove all that pent-up emotions. That’s the only way forward. If tying to make yourself cry is a little bit difficult for you despite your heavy burden, try watching some Korean dramas to cry your heart out.

Here are 10 Korean Dramas that can make you cry your heart out:

1. Angel Eyes (2014)

Park-Dong Joo fell in love with a blind and neglected girl, Yoon Soo-wan. They were forced to separate because of a painful family circumstance. They met again after twelve years. This time, Park-Dong Joo is already a successful surgeon while Yoon Soo-wan is now a paramedic after a successful eye transplant surgery.

2. Autumn in My Heart (2000)

Two baby girls were swapped at birth. One baby, Eun-Su grew up in a loving family with a brother, Jun-Suh. The other grew up in poverty raised by a single mother. The swapped was discovered when they were teens because of an accident. Because of this, the girls were returned back to the their original places. Jun-Suh was deeply saddened with what happened. They lost touched when Jun-Suh’s family migrated abroad. Years later, Eun-Su met Jun-Suh again. They reconnected and resumed their sibling relationship but ended up falling in love with one another. Autumn in My Heart is a tale of love and loss.

3. Contract Marriage (2016)

Kang Hye-Soo is a single mother who struggle to make ends meet. She is being chased by a loan shark for the debts incurred by her diseased husband. To make matters worse, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. To make sure that her daughter has enough money to sustain her livelihood towards adulthood when she passed away; Hye-Soo agreed to enter into a contract marriage with Han Ji-Hoon . Ji-Hoon will give Hye-Soo enough money in exchange for her liver, which he needs in order to save his mother who desperately. needs a liver transplant. It is drama about family, hope and love.

Video Credit: dimsum entertainment

4. Hi Bye, Mama! (2020)

Hi Bye, Mama! is a story of a ghost, Cha Yu-ri who refused to leave the earth because of her attachment to her husband and newborn child. She died 5 years ago in a tragic accident and now given a second chance in life. She must reclaim her place back into her family’s life before the 49 days is over or else she will die again and this time, for good. The only problem is that her daughter barely knows her. Her husband on the other hand had just started to live a new life with his new wife after the going through the excruciating pain of losing her. Although the story is unrealistic, it leaves a very powerful lesson on life, regrets and the value of cherishing your loved ones while you still can.

Video Source: The Swoo n

5. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryo (2016)

A 21st century woman got transported back to the year 941 in the Goryeo Dynasty during a total solar eclipse. She woke in the body of Hae Soo and befriended the royal princes of King Taejo. Remembering her history lesson that there is famous tyrant king who killed his brothers to get to the throne, Hae-Soo did her best to try to change history. She knew that the future king is going to be one of the princes and she did not want to see the princes killing one another for the throne. She ended up being caught in the middle of the bloody fight among the brothers.

Videe Credit: Iflix Malaysia

6. Queen for Seven Days (2017)

Based on a s true story, it is about the tragic love story between King Jung Jong of the Joseon Dynasty and Queen Dan Gyeong, who was dethroned from her position after only 7 days. Queen Dan Gyeong is known as having the shortest reign as queen in the history of Korea. It was said that the King and Queen spent the rest of their lives longing for one another.

Video Credit: KBS World

7. Road No. 1 (2010)

Road No. 1 refers to the road that connects Seoul, the capital of South Korea to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. In the story, Lee Jang-woo joined the military so that he can have enough money to send her childlhood sweetheart, Soo-yeon to medical school. Soo-yeon studied hard and became a doctor while she patiently waits for Jang-woo’s return but one day she received news that Jang-woo had died in battle. After some time, she then decided to put her past behind and marry officer Tae-ho Shin. However, on the eve of her wedding Jang-woo reappeared again. On June 25, 1950, the Korean war started and the two men were immediately sent to fight in the frontiers and the two became comrades in the battlefield.

8. Stairway to Heaven (2003)

Song-Joo and Jung-Seo grew up together. Their parents are close friends. They share common dreams and goals. They also both share the pain of losing one of their parents when Song-Joo’s father died in a car accident while Jung-Seo lost her mom through eye cancer. The two learned to depend on each other for emotional support. Their world crumbled when Jung-Seo’s dad remarried. When her stepmother moved in, she brought her scheming daughter, Yoo-ri with her. Yoo-ri is jealous of Jung-Seo and made her look bad to the family. She also likes Song-Joo and did everything to get his affections. The story is about how Song-Joo and Jung-Seo lost one another and the sufferings that they had to go through in life. It also tells about how they found one another again after so many years only to lose each other once again.

9. That Winter The Wind Blows (2013)

This is a story about a gambler and con-man Oh-Soo who pretended to be the long-lost brother of a sole heir of a large corporation, Oh-Young. Playboy and cold-hearted Oh-Soo has been targeting rich women, but his plans took a turn when he fell in love with the unsuspecting blind heiress, Oh-Soo. He ended up helping her fight those who have been manipulating her.

10. Uncontrollably Fond (2016)

Shin Joon-young and Noh-Eul were inseparable and very much in love when they were young. They had a painful break-up because of uncontrollable circumstances. They met again as adults when Noh-Eul, now a documentary producer was tasked to film a documentary about Shin-Joon-young, now a popular singer-actor. The drama is about the pain, frustration and struggles of living and finding the true meaning of life.

Feature Image by Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Special thanks to Lyrie and Isabel, certified Kdrama fanatics, for making some of the recommendations.

Sep

2020

How To Be Happy in Difficult Times

Reading Time: 3 minutes

This pandemic has caught everyone by surprise. We woke up one day and the world is different. Suddenly, it is like we are all living inside a science-fiction movie. We watch in horror as we see the number of people dying all around the world. What is COVID? How did this thing even happen? And even if we find the vaccine soon, the world will no longer be the same again. As we struggle to adapt to the new normal, another crisis is in the corner – the global economic crisis brought about by this pandemic. It’s not just a health issue now; there is still the challenge on how to survive this economic crisis. In times like this, it is difficult to be happy, much less stay sane. So, how to be happy in difficult times?

Below are some tips on how to be happy in difficult times:

1.Focus on What you Have NOT on What you Don’t Have

What’s the first thing that you do in the morning? if you have a habit of watching the news or checking your social media, then it is time to change your habit. The news will be full of bad things happening around you while your social media will contain things that others have that you don’t have. Instead of that, why not start a gratitude journal and write down at least three things that you are grateful for. By doing this simple thing, you are shifting your focus from the negative to the positive. Then you are starting your day on a positive note. Through this habit, you will be surprised that you can easily find joy in the little things in life.

The earlier you learn that you should focus on what you have, and not obsess about what you don’t have, the happier you will be.
– Amy Poehler

2.Accept Things That You Cannot Change

Many of us gets frustrated with things that are beyond our control. The pandemic, the past and other people are just some of the things that we have no control over. The sooner we accept that we cannot change these things, the sooner we will be happy.

In order to fully accept the situation, you need to go through a process of grieving first. Go ahead, cry your heart out. Feel the sadness and the pain. It’s okay to not be okay for some time. But don’t let it consume you. After some time, you need to start living your life again.

Focus on the things that you can change. You cannot control the pandemic but you can protect yourself from diseases. You may be buried in debt but you can slowly improve your finances through financial literacy. Learn to differentiate the things that you can and cannot change.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
– Reinhold Niebuhr

3. Surround Yourself with Happy, Positive Individuals

Did you know that you are the average of the five people you spend the most of your time with? If you surround yourself with positive people, you will also have a positive attitude in life. In the same way that if you spend too much time with toxic individuals like those people who complain a lot, then you will also end up feeling down. Be wise. Be choosy about the people you hang out with.

You are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.
– Jim Rohn

4. Find your Purpose

It may sound cliche, but things really do happen for a reason. There is a lesson with all this like how important our health is as well as the environment. The important thing here is to learn the lesson and move on. A purpose will give us the reason to move on. Life is not a steady path, there will always be bumps and obstacles along the way. Having a clear goal, will keep us walking on that path amidst the challenges. So, find your purpose. Unleash the genius within you. Your purpose is always connected with your gifts, talents and passion.

He who has why to live can bear almost any how.
-Friedrich Nietzsche

Feature Image by Enrique Meseguer from Pixabay Images

Jul

2020

5 Tips to Get Through Your Lowest Point in Life

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Life is made up of highs and lows and people of all ages experience it differently. When we are experiencing a “high” in some or several aspects of our life, we feel blessed, happy and fulfilled. We are compelled to celebrate our good luck and share our joy with those most important to us. When the opposite happens however, we tend to withdraw from everyone.

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When we’re sad, angry, frustrated, feeling hopeless or regretful, most of us would rather be alone. During this time, withdrawing from your social life can be helpful to your mental and emotional health. This is only if you do so for a short period of time. Here are some tips to help you get through your lowest point in life. These should help you feel better and to get back on your feet quicker.

1. Vent Out Your Emotions

If you’ve been holding on to some negative emotions for some time, now is the time to let them out. Give yourself a break. Venting out emotionally also benefits your mind and body. Cry out your sadness, write down your frustrations, eat a whole pint of ice cream while watching a drama, get angry, have a pity feast or do something creative. Just be sure not to do anything you will regret later. Give yourself a day or 2 to go through the process. Let your pent up emotions out but don’t dwell on them for too long.

Since you are emotionally vulnerable during this time, it is better to do this in a place familiar to you. Some people would rather get away to a new place to sort out their emotions. In both cases, it would be helpful to have a friend who understands what you’re going through. They can help you put a lid on things if you do get out of control. Remember though, your friend can only do so much. Only you can get yourself unstuck from your own emotions or mindset.

2. Get a Sense of Reality

When you have vented out your emotions, it’s time to take stock of the actual circumstances as they are. It’s time to “face the music” as the saying goes. Unless you accept the situation as it is, you won’t be able to move on. This is where an understanding friend is most helpful. This should be someone who knows you personally but is not necessarily involved in the situation.

It will be hard for most people to look at things without emotional attachment. A friend can serve as a more objective observer and can help you see things in a broader perspective. In this way, you can have a better understanding of the circumstances. Your friend can also help you see the point of view of the other people involved in the situation.

This is also the time to be grateful for the things that you have. Go over the lessons you have learned and the people who support you. With a better understanding of things, you can start getting clear, and get even more tips on how you can get through your lowest point in life.

3. Start a Plan

With a clearer perspective on things, it’s time to quit feeling sorry for yourself and start to move forward. Ask yourself: What’s the best approach to turn things around? What should be my first step to clarify things or to solve a major obstacle?

Think about the bigger picture and your goals both in the immediate future and for the long-term. What do I need to do to start my journey to my major goal? Are my previous or current plans aligned with my goals? Write down your goals and next steps.

Think carefully about what you should do each day, weekly, etc. to get closer to your goals. Don’t forget to integrate wellness practices into your daily schedule to keep yourself in the right mindset. You might even try to dress differently to make you feel better.

4. Put in The Work

Now that you have a plan, it’s time to put your plan into action. Plan your daily, weekly, monthly schedule. Organize your workspace to help you work more efficiently and be more productive. Make your environment more relaxing by removing clutter. Talk to the people you need to in order to start the ball rolling. Connect with the right people who can help you carry out your goals. Take each day as they come and keep doing what you need to do to move things forward.

While you are putting in the work by connecting with other people, make sure to invest in yourself as well. Take that online course or attend that training. Get the knowledge and skills you need for the next step in your plan.

As you enhance your knowledge and develop your own set of skills, you will also meet new people who will help you grow even more. As you renew your relationships, you will also encounter more tips and ways to get through your lowest point in life.

5. Be There for Someone Else

Moving forward is the only solution to not staying in the situation you don’t like. Sometimes, certain situations still trigger the negative emotions that we want to get out of our system. This makes it hard to focus on our goals and may hinder our progress. What’s the next best thing to do?

Instead of focusing on just your goals, try to reach out to others who need help too. Be there for them even if just to listen to their predicament. When you focus your attention on someone’s else’s problems, you can learn from their experience. You may find inspiration, or even the solution to your own predicament.

Even if you don’t, you will at least feel better knowing that you are not alone with your problems. You are able to make someone feel better just by being a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. This will help you feel even more grateful for the things you have in your life. You will feel more gratitude for the people and circumstances that allowed you to start moving on from your own low point in life.

These tips are just some of the ways you get through your lowest point in life. If you have been feeling down recently, you should check your overall wellness. If you feel that you can’t handle things by yourself, you should consider getting professional help. A therapist or psychologist can help you so you don’t fall into depression.

Remember that it is normal to experience many low points in your life. But as long as you try to get back up, you will get stronger. The next time you hit a low point in your life; the lessons you learned from the previous experience should help you recover even better than before.

Updated. First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.10.02.
Feature Image: Original Photo by Pixabay from Pexels.

Apr

2020

Rise Above the Storm

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Challenges are part of our daily lives. They come in many forms. They can be in the form of financial difficulties, work problems, health issues or relationship conflicts. While some challenges are manageable, others are not. Sometimes, they can be very difficult to overcome especially if it is something that is beyond our control. Whatever problems you are encountering right now, the most important thing is how to rise above the storm.

An example the Covid-19 pandemic. It came unexpectedly. No one was prepared for the negative effects it brought into people’s lives. We feel angry, frustrated, anxious and depressed. Despite our helplessness, there are some things that we can do to protect ourselves and to help others.

All challenges are the same. It is natural to feel helpless, frustrated, depressed and anger. Embraced that feeling for awhile. However, you need to go beyond that in order to successfully overcome the challenge. You can’t live with your negative emotions forever.

So, what are you going to do about it?

The Right Approach

The fact is, the challenges that you encounter in life will never go away on their own. You need to face and address them. You need to have the right attitude. Start by acceptance. Then, you need to detach yourself from the problem and look at it from a different perspective. By doing so, you will be able to discover your strengths and new abilities that you have never known before. It is ok to ask for help or reach out to others if you feel that it is too much for you to handle alone.

Of course, you always have to option to feel distressed. You can blame it on others. You can even choose to harm yourself and others. But you can also choose to fight. You can choose to stand up again and not be defeated. The decision is yours to take.

It is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
– Epictetus

Join us this month as we help you go rise above your challenges. Together, let us all overcome whatever it is that we are going through and emerge as stronger, healthier, happier and better persons in the process.

Feature Image by Kryzsztof Pluta from Pixabay Images