Amale Bouzlafa

I was talking with some very socially active friends who were telling me about the party they just went to. I listened, asking “whyyy” in a joking manner, and I think they found it strange how much I don’t resonate with it. 😅 While it’s not essentially bad, it just depends on what you like doing, I guess. I’ve never been a fan, though it intrigues me. Maybe secretly I wanted to try it, influenced by social conditioning and shows portraying teenagers throwing wild parties. I could argue for years about how harmful activities are glamorized as exciting. It’s as if people overlook the negative impacts like binge-drinking, drug use, and reckless behavior. It’s sad that these things are still glorified in the media. I can only imagine how teenagers are drawn to this lifestyle.

I wasn’t used to it growing up, rarely going to events, let alone parties. After high school, Law School kept me too busy to party. However, one year I did try this “party lifestyle.” For me, it was a bit like “forbidden fruit” or just an exciting illusion. I enjoyed it for a while, but eventually, it felt like too much. I realized it wasn’t really me. I had to step back and remember that I was happier being the person I truly was, not who I was pretending to be. It’s a very empty lifestyle. Conversations are vain and superficial. People you meet don’t remember you the next day, and your health declines with each party. But it’s an experience, and we live for these experiences. It helped me realize what I like, what I don’t like, and what I enjoy doing.

The main objective of these experiences should be to learn and grow from them, understanding the consequences. It’s important to remember that not everything is worth sacrificing our health for. We should be mindful of our actions and enjoy our lives without overdoing it. Now I keep asking myself, why do people do that on a regular basis? I’m not judging, just wondering. From what I’ve learned, most of the time it’s about escaping. We all escape in some way. Partying, smoking, drugs, work, or food. Even something seemingly “good” like overworking, meditating, or journaling can be an escape. Don’t get me wrong, escaping with exercise is better than escaping with partying, but still.

I aspire to be mindful in everything I do, bringing awareness to every aspect of my life. Being aware of what I eat, what I do, what I read, and what I watch. I talked about balance in my last article, and I’ve learned that mindfulness is the best way to find balance. So, the lesson of the day: be mindful in every single thing you do because every single thing matters when trying to find balance.

Trusting this will bring some light to someone’s shadow,

Amale 💫💙