World within my walls
I believed that self-isolation in my master room will be a breeze. I was fully vaccinated so I wasn’t too afraid of the symptoms. I had mentally prepared myself to sail through this time via ample rest, Netflix, paracetamols and intermittently doing things I like doing alone (being the selectively extrovert/mostly introvert person that I am). I had no specific plan in mind and I dived right in. As time progressed, I changed for good, through introspection and re-evaluation of my priorities.
It is day 4 of self-isolation and I am finally in a place where I can muster my jumpy thoughts and pull my focus together to pen down some of my experiences so far with myself.
People, my people!
My daughter has completed her 6 months and is on solids. My wife and I are in a space where we want to spend most of our time with her to witness her speedy growth and milestones together. My kid is practically doing something new and funny everyday. The feeling of hearing her giggles and cries across the walls yet knowing that I cannot be with her eats me from within.
My wife and mother-in-law have seamlessly taken over the entire home-load of 3 adults', an infant and a dog, onto their shoulders as if nothing has changed. My needs and wants are more than taken care of.
We almost, always take our folks for granted until (in my case) we are locked in a room, have nothing much to do but think about so many things under the sun. Being social beings, we primarily think about our loved ones which is what happened with me as well. Realization-I feel extremely grateful towards my folks: my people who love and care, selflessly.
There is only so much time, lots of it.
- Watching something new on Netflix: Check
- Mindless browsing and watching favorite scenes of old shows: Check
- Creating silly reels on Instagram: Check.
- Bad headache, feeling unaccomplished: Check! Check!
Like work, it is crucial to plan-prioritize-act when it comes to your personal time too else you end up filling your precious pockets of time with something random and entertaining. I was aware of things that could potentially give me joy and satisfaction. It was only a matter of getting myself to do them, which I eventually did.
- Reading books on infant development and sharing key information with my wife to help her with baby care the best I can while in self-isolation: Check
- Resuming my second painting while humming my favorite playlist in the background: Check
- Resuming writing through experiences like this one after a long hiatus: Check
- No headaches, feeling accomplished and content: Check! Check! Check!
Keep moving.
I love my workouts. I usually spice them up with boot-camps, skipping, Yoga, swimming, running (with my dog) to keep up the variety and keep away the boredom. Imagine my plight in a confined room, with a restriction to avoid intense cardio workouts: total chaos! I had to keep moving but how? I rolled open my Yoga mat and continued with light Yoga and stretching nevertheless. I resumed mindful meditation, 10 minutes in the morning to really be present, in the moment.
I think its incredibly important to keep moving for the sake of your health and sanity. An easy high of doing 10 sun salutations in the morning works wonders and enhances the quality of the rest of your day!
Do I need it all?
When you are confined within the walls of your room and have time in your hands to do anything you wish to, you may end up staring-staring into the blank space, at the walls, at your desk. Its a cathartic experience in itself. What I noticed during this exercise was the excess amount of clutter in my space. Do I really need it all? A culture of consumerism coupled with a first-world lifestyle has lead to a ‘more is less’ mindset when it should ideally be the other way round. I think this pandemic has largely taught all of us that we can easily get by with the basics, the rest of it being a want and not a need. Decluttering your surroundings surprisingly declutters your thoughts and gives you a sense of clarity followed by purpose. So clean up and reduce!
These have been my simple yet crucial learnings and observations during this time with myself. I will be embracing all of them to help me sail through the rest of my time as I continue creating my own world within these walls.
