STILL IN QUARANTINE
Today is Day 79 of community quarantine. Today also marks the beginning of a new month and the beginning of GCQ (guided community quarantine) here in Metro Manila. We transitioned to GCQ not because we’ve flattened the curve but because we need to keep our economy running. For many of us who are not required to go back to work, we welcome the new month just like how we welcomed the last two months– cooped up at the comfort and safety of our home oftentimes okay, sometimes anxiety and grieving.
2020 went by fast and we’re halfway through it already. Thinking about what have transpired over the quarantine period, nothing exciting has really happened and if anything I’ve been operating on autopilot. Taking it day by day and busier than ever being a homemaker. I haven’t been able to do the things I plan to do at the beginning of quarantine like read my books, start a new hobby, blog more, create content, and so on. I was too busy with chores & with making the best out of the situation by spending time with my family. I miss blogging because this has been my outlet to share what’s on my mind so it doesn’t get too cluttered. Thankfully I was able to write about my thoughts in time of Coronavirus and shared snippets of our quarantine life. I thought I’d have more time being home with my family but its been quite the opposite the past two months. I’ve been doing almost the same things day in and day out. Though I was comfortable in the routine, I felt like I was running out of time. I was counting down the days until ECQ is over then it became MECQ and now GCQ. But what was I waiting for? I was longing for that sense of normalcy and we all know it was not gonna happen anytime soon. So I let go.
MORE MINDFULLNESS
I know things won’t be the same nor this “new normal” is forever. I’ve gone through the five emotional stages of lockdown and I think I’m ready to move on and do what I can to better myself even if we’re still in this trying, uncertain time. So the past two weeks I’ve been focusing more on my overall wellness particularly being keen on mindfulness. This word has been thrown around one too many times. And just like happiness, mindfulness is a state of mind many of us want to attain.
I’ve been practicing mindfulness the past two weeks more than ever. It started when I did my 3 Day Bone Broth Fast (more on this on another post). Brain fog cleared and so I was more in tune with my emotions and thoughts. It paved way for me to start being more mindful. My roomie Nikki also shared a grounding technique to help one cope up with anxiety and I’ve been doing this whenever I find myself overthinking. I always feel I’m in the present whenever I do this.
DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY
Yoda said it best. Do or do not, there is no try. I admit I’m stronger physically more than mentally. While I’ve been focusing on making my body stronger by working out regularly and nourishing it right, I’ve neglected to work on my mental health. It’s a part of us that needs attention especially during a life changing event such as a pandemic. The start of a new month & season brought out the competitive in me. I challenged myself to focus on my mentality so that I can further strengthen that mind-body connection. It’s not easy to silence & train the mind but it’s something I’m taking on to prepare me for the changes that’s bound to happen in the coming months.
I signed up for Sara Black’s Energy Expansion journey for the month of June. This is to further my meditation practice and align myself with the energy I want to receive. I’ll share more about the retreat I did with Sara last March pre-quarantine on a separate post to give you an idea of what her retreat is all about. I’ve also started attending Pilates classes via Zoom through Prana. Pilates will always be my first love and I’m so happy that my studio Prana now offers online classes. I’ve been doing mostly HIIT during quarantine and I felt it was too much for my body. Now I alternate slow mindful movements with high intensity training to balance it off. As for my nutrition like I mentioned, I’ve added bone broth to my meals for the sole purpose of healing my gut. It has nothing but positive effects on me (not just to my gut but also to my mind). Pretty confident I’m on the right track on my health & wellness journey. I guess I’ve done a lot of small changes in the last two weeks compared to the last two months and I’m happy to report it’s been serving me well. I’m excited to embark on this journey as the new season brings so much hope for me despite the circumstances not changing (for now).
Looking forward to spending the days of June more mindfully and hopefully welcome July better than I’ve been.
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