Remember, take it easy

By Lindiwe

It’s been a few weeks since we were told to self isolate leading up to a lockdown and immediately this had a toll on my mental health. I was overwhelmed at how fast things were moving, how fast my life was changing.

I then tried to get the best of it all and tried self care routines,exercising, planning my reading times and blogging times. Well let’s say I really tried to do all of this.
In the first week I was still trying to make sense of it all, an hour at a time. I tried sticking to the schedule that I had drafted for myself.

One hour at a time I took it. And I did try to stick to the schedule.
But I just couldn’t. All I wanted to do was lay around, nap and do absolutely nothing. I didn’t want to be productive or learn something or even start a new habit in the first 21 days. I didn’t want none of that. It was overwhelming that I tried to not overcome the fear and uncertainty I was feeling and I tried distracting myself with schedules and tried to overcome it all.
I tried, but the depressed me just took over. I wanted sleep to get over it all.

But amidst all of that, I was very sad for not achieving my weekly goals because I chose sleep over productivity. I felt sad about that because this is probably the last time I’ll get this much free time ever again.
So I beat myself up for it over and over again, and in the second week I drafted a new schedule and new weekly goals. And that week I chose both sleep and productivity and I got to achieve half of my weekly goals.

In the third week I was calmer, more clearer of my head space so I didn’t draw up any weekly goals, I still chose sleep and productivity simultaneously – some days I chose neither. Some days I was okay with staring into space and scrolling on social media and interacting with friends to even care of what I need to enhance about myself in this time.

Right there and then, I realized that it’s okay. It’s okay to do whatever you want to do in this uncertain times. You don’t need to learn anything new, you don’t need to form new habits. It’s okay to rest, it’s okay to sleep. It’s okay. Don’t pressure yourself, you’ll get up when you feel the need to for yourself in your own time. Always take it easy.

Remember, do what makes you most happiest.

Til next time, keep well!