So you would think that being at home all of the time would mean that time moves slowly, but here we are at the end of another month and about to move into June… fucking JUNE! I honestly don’t know where this year has gone, it’s certainly been an unforgettable one.
I know that everyone has experienced a different COVID-19 timeline where this year is concerned. For me personally, it’s been nearly 3 months since lock-down started, and it still feels very surreal. I know that we are a long way from being “done” with COVID-19 yet, but the recent easing of restrictions is very promising and gives me hope that we are moving forward…all be it at a slow pace (slow and steady wins the race after all!)
I feel like I’ve learned a lot throughout this time, and there are plenty of things that I will take with me going forward (another post another time on that I think).
Letting go
One of the big lessons I feel I have really started to get to grips with throughout this time is the art of letting go. In my post at the start of the month “Here we go again…” I spoke about trying to accept what is out of my control. This has certainly helped me in trying to not obsess over the frustrations and negative thoughts…but it’s only one step. The thing I have realised is that not only do I need to process and accept these things as they are, but I need to then let it go.
This is sometimes easier said than done, but since consciously doing this I’ve really noticed a shift in my mental well being. I feel a lot calmer and at ease, and I find that I can shift out of a negative mood much quicker than I had done previously.
The “new normal”
One of the things I am starting to come to terms with is the fact that many things won’t go back to the way they were. There will no doubt be good and bad elements to this – but going back to the idea of letting go I feel like this month I have been able to let go of the idea of “maintaining my normal routine” and actually find new habits and activities that better suit the current way of life – some of which I will even take forward into the “new normal”.
So…what’s been happening throughout May?
I always find looking back over the month really useful exercise – it’s great to see which of the goals I set I have achieved and which ones I haven’t, and if not – why?
- Sorting my shit out physically – I’ve nearly finished the couch to 5k program and I’m really enjoying it – I’ve officially turned into an early morning runner (I’m both disgusted and proud of myself!) 😂
- Sorting my shit out mentally – Journalling is still going strong, but the meditation has taken a lil back seat recently. I’m not sure exactly why that is – maybe routine, maybe motivation, something to look at a bit more I think.
- Sorting my shit out financially – So excited to report that I have cleared one of my outstanding debts…seeing the £0 balance on my Littlewoods account is such a good feeling. 👍
- Body Positivity – I’m in the very early stages of this – but after my recent post “Learning to love the skin you’re in…literally” I feel like I’m making positive strides forward.
- Weekly instrument practice – this one is a bit hit and miss, I haven’t been particularly motivated or disciplined where this is concerned. It’s been more about playing/singing when I felt like it. I need to try and put this in more as like with the exercise, I always feel so much better afterwards.
Visit 30 new places – my travel bucket list
So if you follow me on Facebook you’ll see that I got started on my travel wish list… and have also had some great recommendations from you guys as to where to add to my list.
Next step – is to actually put some planning into place so that these trips become reality (when we’re allowed to travel that is) instead of just sitting on a wish list.
Paint/draw a self-portrait
There is no beating about the bush on this one…I haven’t done it – and that’s ok! I’m in the process of re-discovering my love of art/music and so part of this is to be intuitive with what I enjoy/feel inspired to do…and my portrait just hasn’t been one of those things. I still feel very rusty in my drawing technique and so I think I will want to develop this a bit more before I tackle protrait no.2.
To this end I’ve started life drawing – obviously, classes aren’t running at the moment but when browsing the tv one night mum and I came across Life Drawing Live on BBC 4. We only caught the end so over the past couple of weeks we have re-watched the program and tried our hand at drawing the figures. Not always easy (especially when the internet is a bit glitchy) but it’s been a good way for me to get back to grips with drawing and it’s been good quality time with mum which is an added bonus!
Watch more Anime
The problem with having access to so many streaming platforms is that there are soo many good shows to watch. This month I have been watching the new series of Westworld on Now TV and starting The Mandalorian on Disney+. Really enjoyed both series and it was nice to watch something a bit different.
So, I haven’t watched anymore of this series yet but now that I have finished a couple of my new release series I can add this back to my watch list.
Read a new book
Mindset is definitely the key for any “self-development” books. I’m much more engaged this time round of reading this book and like “The Chimp Paradox” I’m making lots of notes as I go through.
I’m not quite half way through yet…I find that I can’t always read this in the evenings as it ramps up my brain rather than unwinds ready for sleep – so this one will feature on the reading list for next month too.
This was an additional book I wanted to read this month – the idea was to have it as a slightly more relaxed read compared to the Body Positive Power…well that didn’t go to plan.
I read this book in the space of two days and was blown away. I think I thought that this book would be a light read, something that would prove as a nice distraction…but this book got my brain thinking just as much.
It’s weird, and I’m not quite sure if I can explain it – but I felt like this book really spoke to me – it certainl left me with a different perspective on life and following your dreams.
A few new additions..
I wanted to keep this month low key – and I think I’ve definitely achieved this. It’s been nice to be a little more intuitive to my wants/needs and to experiment with new activities and routines.
A few little extras:
- 30-day challenge – the doodle challenge hasn’t really stuck as did the music one. I think it’s partly discipline…a lot of the time I forget to do it and so the doodles happen in the evening when I’m not feeling at my most creative. Maybe having a more structured routine would help…but do I really want to restrict myself to that? I don’t think so.
- Cooking – So this month I have been cooking at least once a week, usually a meal at the weekend when we have our “family dinner” with the grandparents (who also live in the same house – so no social distancing rules broken there). It’s been nice to get back into cooking and I’m enjoying exploring different recipes.
- Getting crafty – I haven’t made any progress with the converse…but I do now have a gorgeous looking Marvel bag to match my shoes. If you haven’t seen it already, go take a look at my Facebook/Insta accounts.
Learning something new…
Alongside developing existing skills, I’ve wanted to try to learn something new. Many of the things on my 30 before 30 list were geared towards this, but unfortunately most of them I’m unable to do at the moment.
So I decided to learn a new language – British Sign Language.
I’ve always wanted to learn BSL and I think that it could be a really useful skill to have. So last week I started the Introducing British Sign Language online course – and so far so good. I can sign the alphabet, recognise words (if they aren’t signed too quickly), and count from 1-10 in three different ways!
It may seem a bit cliche – particularly given the current climate – and there is absolutely no expectation for anyone to have to come out of this having learnt some new skill. But for me it gives me something a bit different to work on and do during the week and gets my brain working in a different way.
Looking ahead…but not too far
So looking back on this month…it’s been a pretty good one all in all. It’s certainly had challenges along the way, but it’s felt much more manageable than previous months.
There is something to be said about living in a more intuitive and present way – it’s something I’m going to continue to explore more going forward.
I’m feeling hopeful as I look ahead to June. I’m hopeful that we will continue to make steady progress in terms of relaxing the current restrictions, and I’m also hopeful that I can carry some of the things I have learnt going forward into whatever this “new normal” looks like.