Story: Zenub Babur Butt
When I opened WhatsApp today, the first message was from Dr. Shireen. Endearingly, she inquired about me, asking if I had written anything new to channel my thoughts and stay present amidst the seasonal affective depression season.
Previously, at Dr. Shireen’s suggestion, I had written a small piece on this very subject. As a mental health practitioner, it resonated deeply with the women of the blog-reading community. But this time, I casually responded that I hadn’t written anything new. “There seems to be nothing worth writing,” I confessed. My heart and mind felt incoherent, and I was too disoriented to streamline my thoughts. Too much is happening in the world, one thing after another, and it’s taking a toll on a thinker’s mind like mine. I admitted that I find it difficult to dissociate myself from global suffering.
Her response was simple yet profoundly stirring: “Just write. Scribble anything your heart wants right now. Whatever is overwhelming you—bring it to life and pen it down.”
Her words shook me. They reminded me, with startling clarity, of how powerful being in the moment truly is. The Power of Now—a concept so simple, yet so profound. Sometimes, a genuine friend’s insight can illuminate the path you didn’t even realize you were seeking.
Dr. Shireen’s single-line message reawakened chapters from my psychotherapy curriculum. Stay present in the moment; that’s all you truly have. The past is gone, and the future is not promised. The present moment—this fleeting, fragile “now”—is the only reality we truly own.
It’s such a powerful awakening to recognize this. To live each day to its fullest, knowing that today is the only certainty, is an act of liberation. Nothing more, nothing less. An absolute truth.
Thank you, Dr. Shireen, for always being such a growth-minded, driven human being. Your words have reminded me of something fundamental yet often forgotten: When we write about our thoughts and emotions, we process them. We meet ourselves on the page. The act of writing—of translating feelings into words—often lessens their intensity and helps us understand them more clearly.
This simple practice can transform passive, overwhelming emotions into manageable realities. And once written down, they become lighter. It’s a small yet profound psychological truth.
Here’s to writing, to presence, and to finding ourselves in the process.
~ Z
