God Abeg – A Not So Silent Prayer

Looking back now, if anyone had told me that the one thing I would always look forward to on most days besides creating art, would be sleeping, I would have argued with them. Aside from the fact that I need to rest because I obviously get physically tired, no one talks about the mental and emotional tiredness enough. Because really, there are days where I literally just want to escape reality and all the daily madness of life as a ‘city boy’ in Tinubu’s Lagos for just a few hours so that, at least I can face the paused madness with “clear eyes” when I finally get up.

I vividly remember how much of a social butterfly I used to be. Night Parties?? Count me in!  What about all the clubbing and the loud music or the spontaneous chain of fun activities with friends alike? I didn’t even need to think twice before luxuriating in the very essence of fun itself. Now, I find myself needing to be informed approximately two weeks ahead of time for a simple karaoke night or even a walk on the beach. It’s something I don’t understand but I guess that’s where I am currently lol. Oh, and I forgot, I also have to set frequent reminders to keep my mind conditioned and aware of the fact that I already committed to being present for an activity on the agreed date. Yes, that’s how bad it has become. 

You might not be speaking but I hear you. I know what you are thinking, isn’t that just adulting? Every other person is going through or has gone through this phase, right? Yeah. But maybe mine has just been on a wavy level. I used to think my headache started from the day I left my parent’s house to be on my own, but thinking about it now, the real headache started when I paid my first rent in this very Lagos as the world’s most eligible bachelor LEEMAO. I slept for like 3 days back-to-back when that chunk of money left my account, hoping that I was going to wake up to discover it had just been a malaria-exaggerated dream and my money was still in my account for future flexing. I almost started calling my landlord an armed robber like he stole my rent and I wasn’t supposed to pay to live in someone else’s house.

Fast forward to the part where I became a full-time corporate 9-5er and became accountable for a wide range of other things, like waking up by 5 am in the morning every day to go and make an ‘impact’ in society while hustling for my daily bread. I know some others wake up at 7 am sha, the islanders (definitely not people living in Ajah, lol) but that’s by the way. 

Having to balance both work and life has been such a beautiful imagination, so abstract that having the original painting of the Monalisa by Leonardo da Vinci on my wall feels like a more achievable reality. So far, in my case, the terms “work and personal life balance” have only co-existed in an alternate universe, only to be experienced by magicians. Nothing dey balance!! 

Somedays, I find myself chanting words of affirmation, a whole hard guy like me o! Omo at this point, anything that’ll help me cope with all the drama going on in my head and the stress of my everyday life is what I will experiment with, including activating several deep sighs and applying hourly doses of “God Abeg” to help me stay sane and motivated to finish strong every day.

We all just have to agree that there are so many things happening all at once, especially with how sensitive and stressed out the current condition of the economy has made us. I mean, for someone like myself who should be making an impact in society, it’s funny how it’s happening the other way around, the Nigerian economy is definitely impacting me and my mental health for real. It is more than enough reason to feel tired, demotivated, anxious, confused or even lost in the worries of the moment. However, our can-do spirit will never let us give up or give in. 

I suggest we consider a few things to help us cope with the unavoidable stress, like prioritising self-care, seeking support from our social network, engaging in stress-relieving activities such as exercise, meditation, and spending time with our loved ones. Or even try out some ancient wisdom like finding a way to eat Oha soup and turkey accompanied with like six wraps of fufu and a fine glass of red wine😂 (this is not financial advice o lol). Don’t forget to take deep intermittent sighs and use the “God Abeg” prayer too because it works! And by “God Abeg”, I mean actual prayers because we need a lot of it. This battle is not for the physical.