NikithaOne thing which has taken over the world right now is fear. As each day passes, there is only anxiety which is building up not knowing whose turn it is next. I think I moved from denial to acceptance stage of the world pandemic. I hope all my readers are safe and are reading this article in good health.
Review of March
The month of March started for me with a high fever with chills and sore throat. It took me a week to recover. The fever could have been due to the unnecessary panic I was putting myself through or the non stop travel I did in February. I was grateful to the Universe for sparing me from the deadly disease. Due to the uncontrollable panic I went through, I binged on social media which made my days worse. One fine day, I decided enough was enough and cut the time I spent on my phone from 4-5 hours a day to less than one and half hours a day. That felt like an achievement. With working from home the entire month, it was a lot easier to stick to my goals.
1.Breathing exercises
I finally found a way to make it a part of my life. Except for the week I was sick, I did it on the rest of the days of the month which made the streak higher than the past month where my sole goal was to master this habit. I could make this happen this month because I used the technique of ‘Do it after X’. Never does a day go without brushing. The next action I do after brushing is breathing exercises. I mostly did kapalbhati and anulom vilom. The time ranged from 5 – 10 minutes. But I feel that it is a huge achievement in itself. As long as I don’t have to rush to the office, this habit will continue.
2.Gratitude diary
I used the same technique of ‘Do it after X’ for the gratitude diary. The first thing I do in the morning as soon as I wake up is write three things I am grateful for. Most of this month, it has been about
- I am grateful to stay safe
- I am grateful to have a job which has an option to work from home
If you are not writing one, it is high time you feel grateful for the good health you have may there are thousands out there struggling for their lives
3.Learn Kannada
I am not at lesson 30 as planned. I reached only lesson 15. One thing I didn’t take into account is revision. I spent a week just revising the 10 lessons which I studied and redid a few where the words weren’t registered in my head. Thankfully, I practise them a few times with my husband who corrects my pronunciation.
4.Books
I read Power of Now, The road back to you and a few e-books on photography.
Plans for April
Mindfulness
Power of Now had a powerful message on the importance of staying in the now. It was all good in theory but I had no clue on how to put that into practise. I started searching for practical tips and stumbled on The Mindful Way workbook. It has a 8 week course on how to stay in the present. Based on my previous experiences and the availability of tools I have these are the action points for this month.
a)Body Scan – This is one of the awareness exercises which helps you examine each and every part of your body and helps you mentally give instructions that it is relaxed.
b)Mindful routines – Every morning as soon as you wake up, you brush your teeth. But did you ever notice how the brush feels against your teeth and how many times you move your hand. I want to bring awareness into my everyday activities like brushing, bathing and eating.
This month is the right time to start it as the situation demands to stay calm and the conditions of working from home are favourable to achieve the same. Even though it might look like I am overdoing it because I already do pranayama and meditation daily, it is the need of the hour.
How was your March? How are you coping with Covid 19?
Stay Home. Stay Safe!
Happy April!