What are the two things to do in the first month of 2023?

Above anything else, give yourself a boost with a new perspective! Because this year is for healing, growing, and meeting the best version of you. Go on and turn your resolutions and plans into reality. Besides, it’s the year of the Rabbit. There’s nothing wrong with believing in luck, especially when working hard. Success will eventually come.

The other thing is to observe Mental Health Wellness Month celebrated in the United States. As we felt the cheer of celebrating Christmas and New Year, many of us struggled in silence by faking happiness. Such was experienced and thought by probably some or many  Pines International Academy students miles away from home. I’m not sure they know this, but the feeling is mutual. The recent Holidays also took a toll on me. But sadness is not why I’m writing this; bouncing back is. That’s right, the recovery stage matters the most. The falling-down season is actually the rest-well phase everybody needs to go through.

And as mentioned in the previous blog post, you can find inspiration in anything. It varies in forms and ways: from a person, your surroundings, and even a movie. I didn’t expect how the first animated movie I watched this year could help me big time. I will always remember its impact on me.

At first, I was hesitant to see Avatar because I’m not a fantasy-genre fan. However, giving in to the social media hype once in a while was a good thing. This movie is an 11 out of 10. The maturity behind the well-written script and professionally executed scenes amazed me. In this blog post, I will share my realizations about this movie. If you’ve seen Avatar, let me know if our points of view align. And if you haven’t, there are minor spoiler alerts ahead.

1. How broken and lost can a person be without love? The answer is super erratic.

The Way of Water showed me the most significant role of affection, respecting boundaries, and sacrifices in relationships. Those three don’t revolve around love; they represent love. How you are raised will affect the way you see things and the way you react and respond. When you pay attention to Sully’s children, their actions vary since each receives a different level of love. Lo’ak was erratic because he thought he was not receiving any. It turned out he just needed to pay more attention.

2. Curiosity is okay, but family adventures are always the best.

This movie has reminded me more of the saying, “parents know best.” Without their guidance, tragedies will disguise themselves as tempting adventures. But an experience with the parents is far more memorable. The memory of Neteyam learning to catch fish with Jake perfectly illustrates this. Children and youths nowadays should treasure being with the family more than anything. Cherish the times together the way parents do.

3. No matter how wrong a person is, learn from them.

A stone hit me hard when Miles said, “sometimes it’s not so great to know who your father was.” All he acknowledged was the things his father did, and then he grew up scared. While he was wondering if he might end up like him, his hatred towards him went too far. I’m also not pro-Colonel Miles’ actions because he has not been a role model since the beginning. But learning a few things about him opened my eyes to meditate on my actions first before doing. When you focus on the bad, they become worst. However, seeing them is right for you, so you don’t have to do them. You can change the cycle.

4. Sometimes it may seem like nobody cares. But somebody’s always present— be observant.

Tuk’s “Lo’ak, I’m listening” was brief and funny but reassuring. Be open and less emotional. And when you finally say your idea or story, don’t look down. Just observe and appreciate who would back you up or tap you for corrections. But before you speak up, know your audience. Many ideas go to waste because of fear of criticism and rejection. In reality, they only happen when you’re either telling a lie or with the wrong group. Those who care are your people; you can tell them your thoughts. While those who don’t pay attention are a reminder for you to get your story straight.

5. There’s nothing to prove.

Sadly, the idea of proving yourself continues to consume people in the present generation. Yes, it feels great when our efforts are being validated and recognized. But there’s no need to present yourself better just to feel wanted. We all want to be considered “the good one” just to feel like we belong. But through Avatar, some thoughts came to light: the world doesn’t care how great you are. That’s why building confidence from within for yourself is better than for the world.

These are the five lessons I learned from watching Avatar: The Way of Water. I hope it helped you ease up from anxiety and loneliness, especially from the recent celebrations that triggered unnecessary feelings.

This year, may we honor the connection between the body and the mind. It is time to take better care of the physical and mental state. Self-care is necessary to make 2023 the year you’ve been waiting for. Start today, start now… embrace your authentic self.

Have a life-changing Mental Health Wellness Month!

Happy Lunar New Year!