The day Singapore went into CB mode was the same day I ended my SHN. Travelling back from the bustling city streets of San Francisco, it was such a drastic change to be confined in my room for 14 days. When the number of cases spiked and CB was implemented, I dreaded the 8-week extension of my self-isolation. But of course, I knew I needed to practice social responsibility and doing so was me playing my part as a citizen.
Since interactions with anyone else other than my mom was not allowed, I had to find ways to take care of myself. Just like how essential services were needed to operate for our daily lives to continue, I felt that my physical and mental health were the most important functions that needed conditioning.
Physically
For three months, I worked out consistently. Chloe Ting, Pamela Reif: you name it, I’ve tried it. I spent at least an hour on my exercise mat daily. Even though my abs did not magically appear after 2 weeks, but I did feel a difference. I felt much stronger as I progressed through the days. I could also tell when I started taking lesser breaks in between each exercise.
Most importantly, when I look better, I feel better too! I felt happier and so much lighter. I could also tell that I was a lot more confident and less self-conscious about how I looked.
When I found out that we were not allowed to dine out, I felt relieved that I learnt to whip up several dishes while I was living in San Francisco. It was fun making dinner on the weekends, but it was exhausting to cook after a long day of work.
So, GrabFood lor.
Mentally
Despite being stuck at home, time was not on my side. I had back-to-back meetings and countless reports to submit. I had no time for distractions – work was my one and only concern.
To be honest, the majority of my WFH days looked like this – wake up, brush teeth, grab my coffee and sit down in front of the laptop. Instead of hitting the showers, dressing up and commuting to work whilst scrolling through my phone, I reported to work in T-shirt and shorts. When meals were ready, I would take them into my room and continue with work. The breaks I used to take such as heading out for lunch or taking a bus ride home were now emptied for me to accomplish even more. Inevitably, the lines between work and rest were blurrier as the days and weeks passed.
TL;DR, I had no life.
First Glimpse of Self-Care
Wanting to remind myself that I too am human, I decided to pick up my old (good) habits and start journaling again. I started writing my to-do lists in the morning and my random thoughts before I went to bed. This cleared my mind and boy; did I need that cleanse. What I love about this is that what you write about is irrelevant, but the conscious act of doing so is the crucial part.
If you feel like your mind just can’t stop working, you might want to give this a shot.
Self-Care Tips That Worked For Me
I went on Pinterest and searched for more self-care tips that could help my mind chill for a hot second before my brain overworked itself. I tried a couple, and these are the two that I think worked the best.
Intentional Pauses
I learnt to take intentional pauses to help quiet my mind and collect its thoughts, which helped remind me of what my end goals are. This subconsciously led to daily pep talks as I braced myself for the upcoming meetings of the day. I do this when my day gets crazy and when I hardly have any time to get my own tasks done in the day.
Do Something Soothing
Oh wow, this stuff really works.
All those cliché ideas about lighting up candles and having some instrumental piano covers playing in the background, it worked wonders for me. I didn’t even have to spend longer than 15 minutes before my eyelids started feeling heavy and I would turn in for the night.
If you are a guy reading this and you’re thinking ‘OMG girl stuff’, give this a shot and it might surprise you. Allow the music and scent gently calm your mind and body.
While I’m excited that we’re still in Phase 2 we probably might need some time to make adjustments and I think that these self-care tips will ease us into the human interaction we’ve longed for.
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