There is nothing new here, no magical formula. During the emotional roller coaster of ups and downs, it is so easy to forget about the things that bring our spirits up. So from time to time it is important to remind ourselves of the things that brighten our days.
Make something. Anything. Whatever you fancy. I have a friend who started making mandalas and swears by them. There are so many options and resources out there that it could be overwhelming to decide on one. Just pick something and do it. The point is not to find the perfect craft for you, but to let the creativity flow. You can switch to another thing another day, but finish that creative project that you have started. The satisfaction you get from making something is unbeatable.
On a similar note, start finishing your half-done projects. If you are like me, you are probably doing/making dozens of things at the sometime. And the end result is that you are surrounded by multitude of things that beg for your attention. This can get suffocating overtime. So use the confinement as an excuse to finish your projects. Make a list and start with whichever you fancy first. As you complete each project one by one, you will not only feel the satisfaction of making something but also the lightness of ticking off your list.
Learn a new thing. Again the resources are limitless nowadays. Obviously the first go to place is Youtube, but there are also many amazing MOOCs you can find on the Internet. How fortunate it is to be able to follow amazing courses from well established schools which would be near impossible to attend in person? And for free too… A word of caution though, don’t get over ambitious. After I finished some of these course, I got greedy and signed up for multiple courses and didn’t finish any of them in the end. So my advice is that take it one course at a time.
Adopt an abandoned animal. Last March, just before the first lockdown, we adopted our lovely shepherd mix dog. We have been thinking of it for a while and when the lockdown hit it was clear that it wouldn’t have been a better time to adopt an animal. He definitely cheered us up and lifted our spirits. The crucial thing with adoption is to have an open-mind and be ready for surprises. We were hoping to have an independent dog who stays outside in the garden during the day. Instead, what we end up having is this whiny, needy beast who just loves to hang out with us ALL THE TIME . Yes he ended up having a corner in the living room and although he is a nuisance sometimes we love him dearly. The life lesson here is, sometimes you don’t get what you want, but you learn to love what you get. ( I can hear him saying “suckers"…)
Playing games. Card games and board games are big hits in our family. Not only it is super fun to have sweet competition among family members, they are also great for balancing the isolated time your little ones spend on Roblox, Minecraft or whatever they cling on to.
Discovering new/old movies. Again lots of resources here: Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime to count a few. But I have recently discovered ARTE TV where you can find good quality content—again free. Now I am familiarising myself with the tv content from all around Europe and discovering new films and directors. Speaking of directors I started to watch the films of Truffaut. It is both uplifting and nostalgic at once. And great for practicing French.
Doing sports. One of the most convenient things to do is going out for a walk— ideally in nature. Walking in nature is like killing two birds in one stone. Ok, I don’t like this metaphor (especially when I am praising nature) but the point is walking in nature is a great way to exercise and practice mindfulness. I admit that you can have a busy mind while walking. I often find myself talking and arguing with myself. The trick is, if you walk long enough and let all the thoughts pass through you, then comes stillness. Furthermore, the more frequent you do it, the less time you spend in mental quarrels. Other than walking there are lots of fitness and yoga classes online. I was a devoted follower of Joe Wicks during the first lockdown, and it felt great. Yes there were days that I didn’t want to exercise at all and I had to pull myself in front of the TV. Again the trick is to show up everyday and it pays off. When it was finished I promised myself that I will continue on. But guess what happened? I didn’t. Now in this second lockdown, I know my ups and downs will get much better if I start exercising again. But guess what? I am still not doing it. Perhaps I should find a MOOC that explains me why people don’t do things that they know will be good for them (or the other way round). How can we fill the gap between knowledge and action?
And lastly there is alcohol. Not in the form of hand-sanitiser but as mood lifting beverage. Don’t judge me, I live in France, the wine capital of the world. How can I resist? But no worries, I am too much of an Aristotelian to overdo it.