My Self-Care Journey

My Self-Care Journey

In the last one and a half years, so many of us have seen life very closely. How the present tense can convert into the past tense within a fraction of a second, it's such a sensitive thing.

We all know the kind of crisis the world is going through, different regions with varying intensities and consequences. 

In fact, last year there was a phase where not most of the food stuff including veggies were available in my locality. We survived on lentils, pulses, rice and the like for close to six weeks. 

Contrary to what a lot of us including me thought all along, I benefited from the scarcities immensely. 

I developed  the healthiest gut ever because most of the complications weren't available!

It was the biggest lesson nature could teach me. "Stay with Basics, Stay Alive and Happy. Value Every Breath Your Gifted With" 

The more you mess around with nature, the more mess you land into. As true as this is, many also feel it is easier said than done. 

Yes, there are hard realities to it.

Staying indoors has resulted in an increased amount of depression  and general health issues in a lot of people. Though there have been varying locks and unlocks  in the pandemic  norms, we must understand that the number of covid cases will flatten to zero only when the necessary measures are adhered to by the masses and the concerned authorities. We  also have to understand that it's time consuming and in process. 

But each one of us can definitely do a bit within our little capacity by being mindful with our routines and healthcare. 

There is a rising ratio of unemployment resulting in a continued feel of uncertainty in varied percentages across the last more than a year and this will take a positive turn in due course.

While there are situations beyond human control a lot of times,  a balanced self care regime is a must for everyone. 

Most of the activities for  good self care are cost effective & at times no cost., provided they are planned and executed with a proper thought.

As on date, we are all at work or studying from home.

Clock-in and Clock-out of work or study hours aren't possible in today's times whether home or not. 

Maintaining a time bound work list prioritized on the basis of its urgency and importance helps multi fold, be it meeting work deadlines, being productive or then maintaining a decent work life balance.

Through this blog, today I will share some of the routines I have adhered to across the entire year and half of pandemic.

It actually has worked miracles on me! And hence I continue to...

To start with,  I planned my day the previous night just as we used to arrange our school bags back then. My plan includes "ME - WE Time, Work, Study, Steps, Media, Meal plans preps"

During work from home, I dress in normal office attire instead of sitting in gowns or homewear. This gives a professional  feel and helps my performance by utility.

Sitting for long hours is very difficult for me at least. So for every 30 minutes of sitting, I stand for three minutes. 

While I type that message or make the call, I walk around the house. I keep both a chair and a stool handy & switch between backrest and no back rest sitting. 

If I am in a lecture or a meeting , I obviously cannot get up every 30 minutes, so I  balance my timings there.

I downloaded Pedometer, the free step counter app from Playstore,  and made a three set playlist for 20 minutes on my phone. Each one of them to exercise. 

One playlist every 4 hours, thrice a day. It could be in the house, on the staircase or in the building, as workable. Sixty minutes of walking a day sorted, garnished with few stretches and a good 30 minute meditation coupled with journaling spread across my day. 

You can practice yoga as well. I do practice the basics at regular intervals. Performing yoga and meditation is food for mind and body. Yoga is also an age old institution for an  alignment of the human mind - body - soul. It also suffices the bare minimum activity ritual required by a human body to keep it functioning normally.

Meditation is a mind cleanser, ten minutes a day is good to start with and increase it  to 30 minutes a day over a period of time.

Mediation helps you maintain routines for practicing gratitude and forgiveness. 

Another thing I did was to discipline myself to constructive and restrictive consumption of media to be at  peace. I am sure you know what I mean by this. 

Quick Tip: Wear a rubber band on your  wrist and remind yourself to plug out of all untoward or unrequired conversations & thoughts

My mentor, Mrs. Lavanya Anand, gifted me three amazing books some time back. I spend around 10 to 15 minutes reading and understanding one page almost  daily. At times I make notes of it too.

Reading takes your mind beyond the business of living. It opens your thinking and imagination to another level. It is a protein rich food for the mind. A well nourished mind helps you to live life in moderation. 

Tried and Tested.

Quick Tip: You must read one page at least a day. I am not referring to the news please. Read what nurtures you.

I balanced my food intake with my activity levels. Staying indoors doesn't call for full meals all the time. 

My day includes milk, curd, paneer, eggs, fruits, pulses, sprouts, lentils, green - non green veggies and either rice or roti. All depending on availability, how hungry I am and my dear mood.

A thing which I generously follow is I avoid eating post 7pm. It helps my gut big time!

Human body is more than 70 per cent fluid. Hence staying hydrated has been important for ages. Bright colors are something I have always loved. So, I had picked up different colored water bottles. Four bottles of 500 ml each. Two for plain water, two for veggie water, lime, alma, aloe vera squeezed water and so on, as available.

I had a lot of these items stocked up, so my crucials were mostly taken  care of. 

On days which I didn't have them available, I would slice a tomato or cucumber into my water or then normal water was good to go. For those who like it, warm water, it's great for absorption.

You may put reminders on your phone initially. It helps.

Quick Tips: Eat only when you're hungry. Don't confuse stress, thirst or boredom for hunger. Chew every morsel to liquidy paste and eat with gratitude for optimal digestion.

As a family we decided meal times as "We-Times". Also, as we wind up our day, the last 20 minutes before we crash on to bed, we chat, share and spend time together, free from the outside world. It's Just us. 

Yes, I also make time to get on call or chat with my near and dear ones as a routine.

Another one very important thing for people across stages of their career needs to keep in mind is that post pandemic opportunities and job markets will demand more versatile candidates.

So here is how it goes: If the pre-pandemic scenario had an opportunity - applicant ratio of 1: 100 , the post pandemic market will have a 1: 600 opportunity - applicant ratio. 

The people who've been unfortunate to lose their jobs due to the pandemic will also stand in the same line of job search with beginners or job switchers. Hence it's important that you stand out in terms of your skills & knowledge. A polish up on this is a must.

There are a lot of websites and organisations offering free certification courses for different segments of job functions. 

It's equally important to consider higher studies for both beginners and experienced graduates.

If that's financially feasible of course. 

Just graduation may not prove enough. In fact even in normal circumstances, when organization's look at performance appraisals of their employees, qualification is also a parameter along with annual performance for most. 

My first job was pure luck, it happened three days after my T.Y.B.A exams back in 1995. Honestly, it was very much unexpected.  

Fortunately I did not have big gaps during my job switches. I worked from the office all these years and I never really bothered to look at my profile. But the pandemic did make me do it and hence a lot of realizations.

I decided to utilise the saved travel time due to work from home for my study. 

I am pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Training and Development from a renowned institution. My study area is directly relevant to my work profile. I have experienced professionals ranging fifteen to thirty years, from diverse fields studying in my class. Some of them are PHDs as well. We have our lectures online, on sundays and it's a wonderful learning experience from the comfort of my home. 

You can pick up something relevant to your line of work or something closest to what you want to get to. 

For entry level candidates, I strongly recommend you to be as versatile as possible as that's the need of the hour.

Lockdown or no lockdown, remember, we have one life as a human with lots to dream and achieve within a limited time frame. 

This moment of today will never come back! So, Be The Best Version of Yourself and Come Alive to Every Breath You Take.