Our days can get really slow and boring, with very little space for creativity, human interaction or any type of activities to titillate our senses. Case and point, the agonising (sometimes non-consecutive) months we spent in home isolation during the past years due to Covid. And then, all of sudden, our speed changes from zero to one hundred, without consideration of what abrupt changes can do to an entity; think of a car going on 100km/h and screeching to a halt. There’s a good chance the tyres will break down, something dramatic will happen to the car’s inner mechanisms and the passengers will shoot out the window if there’s no seatbelt. Shit happens, and no one bothers to ask us before they do, so a seatbelt is always advisable.
Whether it’s to combat motionlessness or burnout, there are definite ways to maintain some sort of sanity. We just need to make up our minds and pick our asses off the sofa; the only wrong thing we can do, is nothing.
Home edition MacGyver
A serious side effect of the pandemic, the home improvements that started because we needed a bit of space for a home office. It starts out harmlessly, until one day you find yourself playing with wires and in danger of electrocuting yourself. You already bought all the tools you need for that lamp rewiring, so why pay an electrician? Just remember to unplug it first.
Banana bread making or the likes
This is definitely the winner of home induced hobbies of the past two years. Name one person who hasn’t tried to expand their cooking abilities or tasted the experiments of other foodpreuners. It really is therapeutic if you do it right (clean as you cook, keep tidy, manage time) and assess your abilities correctly. Try baking a cake before moving on to the croquembouche.
Finding the inner zen
Whatever that is, before resorting to rock, alcohol and drugs to numb your feelings, try calming them down first. It could be a walk at the park, talking to a specialist, reading books, practicing for a marathon, gossiping with a friend over dinner, or starting a blog. Alcohol is not prohibited (unless operating heavy machinery), but prolonged exposure will eventually eliminate the zen.
Being useful to the society
Surprisingly (or not), helping others makes us feel better. Volunteering in your local communities can do plenty of good, it gets you involved in society, creates human connection, increases emotional intelligence and makes you appreciate what you have.
Let yourself choke
It’s perfectly normal to feel like you’re drowning from time to time; people can flex, spread and fold into the requirements of everyday life and unavoidably, it can be overwhelming. Bending prevents breaking, so when you’re emotions are starting to take over, let them flood you. Soon afterwards, things will seem simpler.
We were asked to shift from absolute stillness to the fast-paced life we had in 2019 or even early 2020 (the year of miracles), not once or twice, but oh so often and with such short notice between lockdowns. Sanity takes some effort after all.
*Featured image by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com.
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