It truly has been quite some time since I last posted on the blog - almost nine months. I cringe seeing that number - primarily because my blog has always been my creative outlet and for some reason, things changed. During my time off, I was busy with my day job where I was in an acting role, figuring out life, obviously dealing with the pandemic, and spending time with my partner and dog. It's hard to explain because every day, I'd have different emotions, moods, and thoughts. Now that I've reprioritized what is important to me, I'm officially back and wanted to share a few things I've learned.
Time & Slow Living
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we lived in a fast-paced world that was obsessed with prioritizing productivity. But once the lockdowns hit, the pace of life slowed dramatically overnight for everyone. I'm not going to lie but it felt nice. Choosing to intentionally slow down and pausing allowed me to realize and re-evaluate what was truly important. Rather than having the mentality of being stuck at home, I was safe at home. Pausing from a full calendar and long to-do lists, taking a moment to simply be.
Bae and I didn't take this for granted but more so as a blessing. I reminded myself that this is life, right here and right now. Life is so precious and we sometimes forget about it being so caught up with our lives and careers that we miss what is right in front of us.
Thanks to the pandemic:
We redecorated our living room. We enjoyed our backyard a lot more in the summer. We lounged around in our backyard. Roasted marshmallows by the fire pit enjoying cool summer nights. Made a whole ton of pizzas using our Ooni Karu. Bae did phenomenal with this vegetable and flower garden. We had tons of adventures with the dog. And so much more!
We created some awesome memories of being home together while being in the moment.
Validating Your Feelings
After almost a year and a half of living during a pandemic - it's safe to say that a lot of us are experiencing fatigue and burnout. We're emotionally exhausted. That adrenaline we all had at the beginning when working from home was amazing and then, well, it slowly faded. From uncertainty to stress to dealing with the never-ending changes to restrictions and news cycle, know that you aren't alone in your feelings.
We all need to recognize that we dealt with are still dealing with some hard stuff. We are making things up as we go along.
I know for myself as I write this even after all this time, I'm tired, have lost passion in things I once loved to do, I am disappointed in others, burnt out, and feeling meh. I know some people have bounced right back with the lowering of restrictions but we're all different in how we approach life from feeling lost, confused, anxious, or being worried.
With all that being said, we need to have patience and compassion for ourselves. We need to take care of ourselves - our feelings are valid and normal.
Be Kind To Yourself
Living through this pandemic has been tough and we all know it by now. So let's not try to push away our feelings to the side because facing the reality of our current experience is key to getting through this. A key item that I learned from this pandemic was to carve out some uninterrupted 'me time' to just be. Whether that was a simple morning enjoying tea and watching Netflix or sitting outside enjoying the sounds of nature, it brought a sense of calm.
Self-care is a priority, not a privilege.
It helped me disconnect for a short period of time - it was a moment of peace especially in a time where we're all glued to our phones, endlessly scrolling and consumed by the digital sphere.
No comments:
Post a Comment