It has been almost two weeks of staying home as part of the lockdown to arrest the spread of the virus. For someone who can’t keep still, I am pleasantly surprised how I well I have fared so far. I think a big part of it is an acceptance that this is where I ought to be. Peace and joy comes amidst times of uncertainty when we embrace our present reality and not will it to be otherwise.
What has helped greatly was keeping a routine while flowing throughout the days and weeks. Below is a sample of what I call our “quaransked”:
- 730AM – 8AM : Morning routine (meditation + 3 questions- what are you grateful for, what will I let go of, what will I focus on today)
- 8AM-830AM: Prep simple breakfast for family; intermittent fasting for me
- 830AM-920AM: Yoga
- 930AM-10AM: Daily Stand Up for work
- 10AM-1130AM: Focused work
- 1130AM-1PM: Prep lunch/Lunch
- 1PM-130PM: Write
- 130PM-430PM: Focused work
- 5PM-530PM: End of day Scrum for work
- 6PM-7PM: HIIT with Kids (while dinner is cooking)
- 730PM-8PM: Dinner
- 8PM-9PM: Hour of practice/learning
- 9PM-10PM: Hangout/read
- MWF – Yoga/HIIT
- TThSu – Run/Strength
- Sat – Cleaning/chores
It has also given me joy to listen to podcasts, online learning and audio books while doing chores and going about my day. I pepper the day with these together with music and stretches of silence. The choice of what to listen to is refreshing.
It may be a challenge but carving out personal space and personal time greatly helps. The spaces in between truly make a difference in the quality of relationships of those at home together 24/7. I think I am a much better mom and wife because I get to continue to do the things that I love, do the work that I ought to do and play the roles that I ought to fulfil. Having a choice to do these things even as it feels as if we don’t does wonders to one’s psyche.
I hope to continue to write more in the next days, making it a part of practice. It has helped me in the past make sense of things. I think t is much needed in these trying times.
