Lately, I’ve been feeling distracted and unorganized with my time. The main culprit is most definitely the quarantine that was introduced to all of us back in March, and it's finally catching up to me. All my usual routines like going into the office, going to the gym, and working out of a coffee shop all ceased to exist. After these stopped becoming my main sources of routine, I had to switch to more simple and mundane activities to keep me occupied throughout the day. Sure, in the beginning of quarantine (March and April) I had an abundant amount of time dedicated to running outside (the most running I've ever done since I was on the cross country team in high school), to cooking, to reading and writing, baking banana bread, and of course Zooming with some of my close college friends I hadn’t seen in years. However after those first two months, I found it hard to keep up with a daily routine. I would sleep in more and even found myself taking more evening naps. I would not go on runs as often, I stopped cooking extravagant meals for myself, and I dreaded another Zoom meeting. I was in a slump, and I wasn’t the only one. So many people around the world were facing the same thing I was: Quarantine Fatigue. The Cleveland Clinic states that you may be feeling quarantine fatigue if you’re feeling any of the following:
Irritable.
Stressed.
Anxious.
Eating more.
Eating less.
Unable to sleep.
Unmotivated or less productive.
Having racing thoughts.
Or just on edge in general.
Yes, that’s a long list. But just realize, your life has dramatically changed since Covid19 became mainstream, and that’s okay. These are all normal things human beings will face due to a complete uprooting of their daily lives. You must also realize this isn't permanent, nothing is. Our lives will go back to some sense of normalcy in the next few years but for now there are ways to cope with the current situation.
So what can we do to combat Quarantine Fatigue? I’ll share what has helped me and provide resources below as well.
- Getting outside and running (safely): Running is great aerobic exercise, especially during quarantine when mostly all the gyms are closed here in Los Angeles.
- Morning walks: Yes, running is great but sometimes you just want to have a peaceful morning walk and listen to a podcast instead of panting and hardly paying attention to what you’re listening to. I’ve found this is the best thing so far for my mental health during this time. It’s helped me stay present and in-tuned with my surroundings.
- Maintain a routine. Get up at the same time everyday, keep a log of where you spend your time, and try to tweak your schedule if something doesn’t work.
- Speaking of scheduling, make sure to fit in “Maker's Hours”: A few hours where you’re doing nothing but creating something. That can be content, your own writing, photography, music, etc. If you want to learn more about a maker's schedule read Paul Graham's essay on the topic.
More resources to help you combat Quarantine Fatigue:
Quarantine fatigue is real. Here's how to overcome it
How to increase joy and fight quarantine fatigue - Thrive
What I’ve been up to this month:
December has been a nice calm month for the most part.
- I’ve just wrapped up a client project so now I have more free time to pursue more personal endeavors.
- I got Lasik eye surgery which was kinda neat, not painful at all. 👀
- Spent some time up in Northern California, in Berkley and Napa Valley.
Book I’m re-reading:
The Foundations of Mindfulness by Eric Harrison. I read this book back in 2017, but have decided to revisit it. It’s definitely one of the best books about Mindfulness that I’ve come across. His writing is super easy to follow and he provides practical tips as he explains the original buddha’s teachings in a more secular way.
Articles I’ve read and enjoyed:
Our parents warned us the internet would break our brains. It broke theirs instead.
How an Apple search engine could compete with Google
The Colonized World Wants Its Artifacts Back
Person I’ve been learning more about:
Died this week at the age of 97. Yeager was a US Air Force officer and record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager's three-war active-duty flying career spanned more than 30 years and took him to many parts of the world, including the Korean War and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Throughout his life, he flew more than 360 different types of aircraft.
Quote of the month:
"Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. Life itself is possible. If a grain of corn is not impermanent, it can never be transformed into a stalk of corn. If the stalk were not impermanent, it could never provide us with the ear of corn we eat" - Thich Nhat Hanh
Until next time,
Be well and stay healthy
- Devin