Let’s make one thing clear, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO BE CONSTANTLY PRODUCTIVE ALL THE TIME. It is OK to ‘take a break’ every once in a while and focus on things that are not driven by monetary gain. If anything, this quarantine period has been an eye-opening time to really reflect on the importance of your home, your space, and how you choose to spend your time in it.

TLDR; The Covid-19 lock down taught me 2 things;

1. That comparing productivity levels against others can diminish one’s motivation and desire to do something more. And yes, this is easier said than done.
2. The only way to get out of a rut is to just start something small. Then once you do that, start something a little bigger, and continue that cycle to continuously feed the most important aspects in life: your mind, relationships, body and soul.

If you’ve read my most recent post “5 Budgeting Mistakes I’ve Made in my 20s” I mentioned my habitual need to fill my hours with working or doing “something productive” because I had no idea how to properly “take a break or relax”. Well, suffice to say, when the city of Toronto went under lock down: important events got cancelled and I became unemployed – thanks Covid. Suffice to say, I mentally shut down and literally did nothing for 2 months. It was awful. I did NOTHING but talk myself into a spiral of “why are you like this?”, “I should be more grateful and happy that I have this time to myself”, “you should do more with your life”… #lockdownmood2020

But as seasons change, thankfully so did my self-deprecating rut. I snapped out of it and just started doing things, any and all things. It’s summer for God’s sake, and in Canada – this heat doesn’t last long… I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like my mind and motivation came back, and I just had a f*ck it attitude to things I’ve been wanting to do, but never did because there was always something “more important to do”.

SO, how did it all start? Definitely not at the same time. But as each new “thing” started, it triggered a new confidence in me, I guess an internal signal was sent to my brain telling me “I can do more!” And, so I did… Now reflecting on what I’ve started over these past few months to mentally cope with this global pandemic, I’d like to thank these 6 key moments:

1. I asked if family/friends needed any help, and did random tasks – even if I’ve never done them before. I don’t how their coping with this lock down, but if I can help even the slightest, I figured, I’ve got the time, so why not? I pulled weeds, painted walls, did grocery shopping trips etc. After a little while, I felt a sense of purpose, something I definitely lost when all pandemic hell broke loose.
2. I started cooking. 1 new recipe a week, it’s been super fun so far, filling my time and has allowed me to connect with my roots, cooking food I used to eat as a kid back home in Hong Kong. Plus I get to share those foods with the people closest to me, and experience those moments with them.
3. I found my dusty collection of books I bought while spring cleaning, and finally reading them for the first time. It started to shape my days, where I’d allocate time to read, learn and just entertain the mind.
4. By reading those books, I became more inquisitive and signed up for all the free online classes and events I could find. The more I could find, and the more people I met; the more confidence I got in pursuing new skills and projects I’ve been wanted to do, but never did.
5. I FINALLY started a personal project (this blog, wooo!) that I’ve never had the courage to put out into the world until now.
6. And lastly, I started exercising again (yay!). This may sound strange but, when I have the desire to exercise, it typically correlates to the mental state I’m in. When my mind is balanced, my motivations are flowing, I want that strength to translate into the physical realm.

It’s strange how learning “how to do nothing” has lead me to adding more value in my life than when I was pre-lock down. It makes me wonder how many things I could of started if I just learned how to take a break in the past? I guess we’ll never really know. But that’s okay, I’m here now and ecstatic to continue cooking, reading, and writing 🙂

What personal journey are you going through during this pandemic filled year called 2020? Comment below and follow me on Instagram! I have a plethora of lock down food creations in my camera roll waiting to be published 😉