Happy Thursday, from London!

I'm easing myself back into writing again. For more details on what happened during my disappearance, you might find my 3 biggest lessons from 2023 essay interesting.

Onward to today's newsletter:

• What is the Seasonality of Life?
• Why is it useful to respect this seasonality?
• How can we flow with the seasons without compromising on progress?

What is the Seasonality of Life?

Life is intertwined with nature, and nature is inherently cyclical.

We have spring, summer, autumn, and winter—or wet and dry seasons for equatorial regions.

We have bullish-bearish stock market cycles, sleep-wake cycles, and half of the world's population has menstrual cycles.

At the core of these cycles is a cycle of work and rest.

Work in the spring and summer, rest and recover in autumn and winter.

Grow crops during the monsoon season, and harvest them for the dry season.

On a macro level, life follows similarly.

You'll have periods of more work and less work. You'll have periods of more money and less money. You'll have periods of more friends and fewer friends.

Why is it useful to respect this seasonality?

Because these cycles are often bigger than us.

Trying to bend these cycles to our will comes at a huge price. Changing the weather, for example, would involve massive amounts of energy and resources. Escaping the sleep-wake cycle—by not sleeping—will eventually distort your perception of reality.

We can't control everything in life, and attempting to do so is a losing battle.

How can we flow with the seasons without compromising on progress?

For the "downward" parts of season...

I've found it helpful to:

1. Create my own cycle that works with the larger cycle
2. Adopt a "this too shall pass" mentality
3. Find the beauty in the present moment

If I'm being honest with myself, I wanted to stay indoors every day for the past two weeks.

My apartment is warm. My bedroom is warm. My bed is warm—more inviting than the rain and chill of London's winters, for sure.

But I knew that staying in bed all day wouldn't let me make full use of my time in London. So I created my own work-rest cycle (based on my menstrual cycle, since I menstruate).

When I'm more energetic, I'll focus more on meeting new people and going out with my friends. I'll brave the freezing weather during this period because I know that, when I'm less energetic in those 14 days before my menstruation, I'll have the chance to stay indoors and get my assignments and projects done, or nap whenever I need to.

The sun is also setting later now, so I'm looking forward to that. Meanwhile, I'm also learning to appreciate the soothing effect of hot chocolate after walking in the cold for 30mins.

For the "upward" part of the season...

During these periods, I actively try to:

1. Prepare cushions and safety nets for the next downswing
2. Live in the present so that I can enjoy the upswings to the fullest.

Many animals stash food away for the winter season. Cushioning does the same for you: it ensures that you can maintain your current lifestyle during downswings.

For example, saving money during my gap year—when I was experiencing an increase in income (compared to my high school years)—helped me fund my first two years of university.

At the same time, I'm learning the importance of living in the present. For my first week in London, I was extremely conscious about how much I'm spending—so much that I felt trapped and paralyzed by everything I did.

My friend, Yang Hee, advised me to allow myself small treats. I don't have to quit studying in cafes, but I can adjust the frequency of my cafe visits to balance my expenses with my need for a change of environment.

That's what I have been doing for the past month. I might have over-indulged during the assignment crunch week, but I've otherwise kept my visits to less than 3 times a week—a frequency I feel content with.