COVID, lockdown, and the current state of the world has put everything on pause. Trips are being canceled, dinner plans postponed, and FaceTime sessions are my norm. I have been through emotional ebbs and flows. Highs are downtime where I can focus on organizing, you know, those projects for which you always seem to run out of time? Finally tackling those seemingly mundane and tedious chores feel like big accomplishments, which is uplifting. Downs are the disappointment of missing my niece’s first birthday party and the fear for my family’s health. Added on top of this are the changes happening at work. What protocols will be added? How can we keep patients and ourselves safe? While some days left me emotionally drained, trying to balance the new stressors of my days, I also found it to be a reset.
I reset my appreciation. Being on lockdown put everything under a microscope. We are all stuck at home, all evenings, and weekends, and for a lot of people working from home all day. I still went to work, as our health care center was seeing patients on an emergency basis. Lockdown is stressful, with changing procedures at work, upended calendars, and no distraction from all the pressures at the end of the day. No sports! TV shows canceled! Unfathomable. I found, however, that I am more mindful and present for those around me. Particularly, my boyfriend. We took turns with home chores to accommodate each of our schedules. We found new projects to work on together, including those pesky home organization and cleaning lists. On the weekends, we went on walks, found recipes to test, and focused on our future goals. After a few weeks, I realized I did not need all the TV, weekend walks at the mall, or the rush of commitments not providing me value. Instead, FaceTime calls with my family and conversations about how our day went are the best stress reliever, and greatly added to my happiness. Life sometimes shifts your focus, from the weekend get together you have to race to, to the work event causing you to run late to the trash that was supposed to be taken out and never was. But when the noise is removed, and you are forced to be still, are you happy with those around you? Are you taking time to appreciate those people that add value? Is there anyone you wish could have been in lockdown with you? Is there anyone you were relieved to not be seeing when plans were canceled? Take time to appreciate and thank those around you. This could be a partner, a parent, or a friend. Take a minute to call that old friend and reset your focus on the things most important to you.
I reset my interest in cooking. I love cooking, particularly baking. During my last year of optometry school, with extra time on my hands, as testing and externships were coming to an end, I decided to try my hand at a new skill. There are few food items I love more than bread. A warm, crusty, baked loaf, the smell as it bakes, and the taste with some fresh tomatoes. The ultimate snack. And so, I decided to start trying to make it myself. I had no special tools, such as a bread machine, or a standing mixer. I can’t lie, the first loaves were edible but a far cry from the description I provided above. But it was fun. It was time to myself, practicing a new skill, and expanding my kitchen repertoire. My bread baking confidence soared as I tried and succeeded at a large variety of recipes, and honestly so did my tools which helped significantly improve the process. Now I feel there is nothing I can’t try. It is okay for some projects to fail, I still learn something from the experience. My baking history now includes successful bagels, palmiers, and pizza. Lockdown has driven me back to cooking as I find something to fill my time and relieve my stress. I have been trying to incorporate more plant-based recipes, although this is an ongoing journey and sometimes a struggle (cheese, please!). I love baked goods just as much as I love a savory dip, for my bread, of course.
I reset my goals. Goals have been a vital part of my success and organizational structure my whole life. Goals helped me break down things I wanted to achieve into manageable bite-sized pieces. I never think of goals as substantial as becoming an optometrist, but rather the steps it takes. So, my goals would have included get experience in an office, get good grades, apply to an undergraduate program. Those are manageable goals that keep me moving in the right direction. While I always have a list of goals, I realized my list was not focused on myself as much as it should have been. My goals and attention were pulled in so many directions, with friends, family, and career. But I have reset my focus and decided to stop wasting time on things that do not directly benefit me and get me where I want to be. Ultimately, this led to my new blog. Blogging is something I have considered for a long time, but I let a lot of factors stand in my way. Limited time was my dominant excuse, but the lockdown has made me realize how much time I am spending on things that are not important. I can better prioritize my time, even while working full time, when I suppress the distractions. We all make time for the things that matter to us. Take a step back and consider what is important to you. Where do you spend your evenings? Are you investing in yourself?
I am excited to start blogging on my corner of the internet. I am interested in cooking, learning, plant-based foods, optometry, and self-care. I hope to create a community where we can test recipes, share our plant-based food journeys and life updates. We all have something to say!
