Self-care Sundays: HOW TO RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF DURING Uncertain times

I don't think that when the ball dropped and the fireworks went off on January 1 2020 that we all thought this is where we'd be come April. I may be wrong here but I really don’t think that’s what we all thought. Many of us probably crafted vision boards and made resolutions as we thought with exciting resolve that this year, 2020, would be the year we finally changed our lives. Not only was it a brand new year. It's a whole new decade. So the promise of an amazing new start was bubbling in our minds and our hearts in double measure.

Fast forward to a few days later and the Australian wildfires was the hot topic on everyone's tongues. And since then, it's been incident after incident after incident. So much has happened in 2020 so far and it's literally only been the first 3 months. Oy vey! Which brings me to where we are now; in the middle of a global pandemic, healthcare crisis and economic turmoil. We are self-isolating and quarantining. Worry and fear the common mood of the masses. Not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones near and far.

And in times like this, it can be really easy to get overwhelmed and consumed by weight of the world. Especially in a time of such uncertainty. Where many of us are faced with not only the concern of an outbreak but also an increased amount of free time to sit with the information overhaul that keeps coming towards us. It can be very draining.

I've seen so many articles and videos telling you how to utilize your time. There's team rise and grind who tell you to use the time to hustle and come out with a new skill. There's team I'm bored out of my mind and need something to do. And there is team relax and enjoy the freedom. Finally getting the time to rest after feeling buried under work pressure. There are memes, tik toks and videos in abundance talking about how we are handling the covid 19 pandemic. And honestly I love the amount of creativity that's rising. It's inspiring. It truly is.

I am team do whatever makes you feel the most at ease during this time. If you want to work to keep distracted or you need to work because you no longer have your job then go ahead. If you want to take the time to unwind, then do that to. No one can dictate how you cope or spend your time during such a time.

Personally, I am enjoying the bit of a slower pace. As a health care worker, I am on the frontline and can easily feel overwhelmed by the thought of the pandemic, but I have chosen to adjust my vision and look at some of the positives. I revel in the opportunity to slow down. The opportunity to truly appreciate what we have in our lives and cherish the precious moments that we've had so far. The clear roads mean less commute so I can spend a little longer in the morning to actually have breakfast and even get home early enough to have dinner. It’s the simple things. And trust me it couldn’t have come at a better moment for me.

I think it was late last year that I entered my existential crisis. Am I doing enough? Am I where I'm supposed to be? Am I enough? Looking around and seeing my peers it's easy to compare yourself to others. But that's not where I was at. I was at a crossroads. The whole idea of entering a new decade to me was so off putting. I mean I entered 2 decades before and felt free but something about 2020 made me feel like the pressure was on. Added to that I realized oh shit I'm turning 30 next year (this year/2020) and I'm nowhere where I wanted to be. I wasn't yet married. I haven't had my 2 and 1/2 kids. Still waiting on my own home. Not fully immersed in my career. I honestly was just not feeling fulfilled. And that was a creativity block. Not with coming up with ideas. No my brain was too active for that. It's literally always in action. It was mainly blocking my activity. My willingness and ability to move and start something. Anything to just move in any direction. I was honestly just feeling stuck af. So a change in perspective was definitely needed, else I be consumed by my own insecurities and worries.

It would have been easy for me to fall further down the rabbit hole during this pandemic. The stage was already set and the scene was already prepared. I even knew my lines of worry already. I had been saying them for some while now. But what the pandemic really did was to hold a mirror up to my face and tell me to stop overwhelming myself. It forced me to truly just be. Because while we were all making plans for 2020; 2020 had its own plans outlined and that was out of our control. Much like most of life is out our control. The only thing we have control over is ourselves and our minds. We have to be our own nurturers and cheerleaders. We have to fill ourselves with positivity. Because that is all we have. That is all we control.

Over the years, the world has gotten very fast paced. Leaving many of us feeling lost and overwhelmed. Everything is always go go go. And we don’t have the time to really slow down and appreciate what we have. We feel lost because at some point we became disconnected from who we really are. I can admit that I am one of those persons who felt disconnected from myself, from my core. So, apart from working, I have decided to find 6 ways to reconnect with myself during this time of uncertainty. I believe this is the perfect way to truly come out of this a more fulfilled version of myself. I would love it if you also joined me and reconnected with yourselves too. Here's what I'm doing:

1. Fixing my sleep

Over the years I think my sleep habits have just gotten worse and worse. Starting with forcing myself to pull all-nighters in high school and university. To now that I am a medical doctor with 24-36 hour duties. It’s safe to say that I don’t sleep very well. In fact, I have often diagnosed myself as a partial insomniac because my sleep hygiene is poor. I’m not even going to front.

So one of the things I really want to work on is fixing my sleep schedule. Now you may be wondering, how is this going to help you reconnect with yourself? The answer is simple. A well-rested body is a well-rested mind. I don’t think we realize how much our sleep impacts our overall function and life. It settles the mind, relieves the stress and this leads to our awake time being an overall better experience.

2 Journaling my thoughts

My mind is a constant source of activity. There are so many thoughts running through my mind that honestly I don't even know how I focus sometimes.

You see the thing about the mind is that if you let it run wild and free, run it shall. You'll start thinking of things and scenarios that were long since buried or that don't even exist You'll remember past hurt and trauma. You'll worry about things you can't control. You can get lost in the negative. If left unchecked, the mind can really leave you in a state of emotional distress.

That's why journaling has been such an important part of my days. Just the act of releasing your thoughts can help you to sort through your feelings, shed the worry and refocus the brain. It clears up the clutter to make room for more important things. You can sort through and solidify ideas that you’ve been mulling over for a while. It can help you gain a sense of direction if you feel lost. Journaling is one of the most freeing things and it can truly help you reconnect with who you are and what you want.

Personally, I have 3 journals. A gratitude journal in which I write 3 things I'm grateful for each day. It reminds me that no matter how bad I think things are, there's always something to be thankful for. When I do this, my mood instantly improves. It's a gentle reminder that I've already survived 100% of my worst days and that's the best stats ever. The odds are definitely in my favour.

The 2nd journal I have is a decompression journal in which I just write freely. Any thoughts I have good or bad. Any ideas I want to work through. Just anything that comes to mind. It helps me to shed the dead weight of the mind and opens up the room for the most important things.

And the 3rd journal I have is a manifestation and goals journal in which I write down my goals, dreams and wishes. This helps me to gain clarity of focus. I decide what I want and focus on getting it. This helps me to stay positive in knowing that God and the universe are conspiring and working in my favour to get it all done.

For me, journaling has been one of the things that has really helped me to re-shape my mindset and adjust my thoughts. It helped me gain a more positive outlook on life which really helped me to feel more connected to myself as a person.

3. Meditating

In recent times, meditation has really become a big part of my life. I've been trying for years to get into the habit. To meditate for hours on end and really feel connected to stillness. But I soon realized that that's just not me. So now my meditation is just a few moments of stillness and quiet. I say my prayers, take deep calming breaths, recite my mantras and just relish in the silence and tranquility.

I use meditation as a way to calm my mind and take control of my thoughts. I do it in the mornings to wake me up, in the nights to calm me down or anytime I need to soothe my overwhelm. I meditate in order to gain clarity and control of my mind. It truly is transformative. It gives you the opportunity to take some time to get in touch with yourself and your emotions.

Just a note: meditation doesn't have to be sitting still and closing your eyes. It can be as simple as taking a few calming breaths to refocus. It can be lighting a candle or burning some incense and letting the aroma soothe you. Meditation is just a way to recenter the mind as the anxious thoughts and worries seep in. It a way to truly connect to your core self.

4. Moving my body

I'm not going to lie to you all. Exercise and I have a very rocky relationship. It's very tumultuous. Sometimes I'm a gym bunny ready and revving to go. Other times, I just want to sit in my chair and binge watch TV. It's really been a work in progress kind of a relationship.

What I've decided to instead is to just commit to moving my body in some form daily to keep myself active. In an ideal world, I'd work out for at least 1hr -1.5hr every single day with maybe a rest day in between. But the world isn't ideal so I'm not going to pressure myself to do that. However, I don't plan on being a couch potato either so moving around needs to happen. So I've been finding new ways to just get my body moving and those endorphins released. Be it stretching for a few mins. Turning on music for a dance jam session * random dancing* Or just walking around my yard for a while. The point of it all is to just keep active in some way.

5. Reading

When I was growing up, I was taught that reading was my access to the world. It gave me access to places I've never been before and people I never met before. I don't think that sentiment could be truer than it is right now.

With so many travel bans and restrictions, those of us with wanderlust may have an itch that needs to be scratched. Or maybe there's something you've always been interested in that you want to learn about. Now is the perfect time to catch up on some reading. And it doesn't even have to be books. It could be articles, blog post, the newspaper, or even a comic book. Just read about whatever your interest is.

Reading is a great way to explore different ideas and schools of thoughts. Sometimes we may be introduced to ideas and concepts that really connect with us and that leads to us truly connecting with ourselves.

6. Reconnect with loved ones

I found that one resounding idea about social media is that although we are more connected than ever before, our connections have been suffering more than ever.

It's easy to get caught up in the idea that an update means you are really connected to your loved ones. You like a picture. See a status update. Look at announcements of marriage and graduation, etc. You're fooled into thinking you're close but in fact you haven't had a conversation in a while. Your conversations are short because you want to stay on the grind. So many of us feel lonelier than ever even in a crowded room because we are lacking true connections and connectivity.

Now is the perfect opportunity to truly reconnect with our loved ones. Ask your parents, siblings or friends what's really going on in their lives. Have a phone conversation, video chat or have a social distancing movie or game night together. Truly connect with your loved ones. Our community shapes us and helps us become who we are. Connecting with them is connecting with a piece of ourselves we may have long forgotten.

We must fill our cups so that we are not depleted. Because when it's depleted and we are still giving, we are only pouring from an empty cup. What small pleasures can you add back into your days to reconnect with yourself? Give the gift of you back to yourself.

There you have it loves. These are the 6 ways I'm reconnecting with myself during this pandemic. How about you? Are you spending this quiet time to really rediscover yourself? If so, how? I'd love to hear from you guys.

6 ways to reconnect with yourself during uncertain times