Here in America, we have been quarantined besides essential work. In all honestly, I like it. A lot. My reasoning is simple enough, I like catching up on projects that I said I would take care of later. I have written twice the amount of words a day for my upcoming novel, organized my bookshelf, added twelve pages to my poetry collection this far, and completed a few household chores that have not been done in quite some time. I was having a great time. Until yesterday that is.
Yesterday, I spent a lot of time on my Xbox consul completing the Apex season 4 battle pass. Yes, I have motivation so it fits my requirement for use of time, but I spent much longer than I intended gaming and I wasn’t able to mark off a single thing on my daily list. Needless to say, I felt under the weather once I was settled in my bed for the night because my daily checklist had empty boxes with no checkmarks.
I used to do this all the time, going to bed feeling terrible about what I didn’t do that day. After all, that is why I created my daily checklist in the first place. So seeing this habit reappear, I knew how to cure it immediately.
Luckily, I know that when I feel under the weather, it is most likely due to a lack of exercise. I love a good run to start the day with a clear head which motivates me to keep the day going until the sun tucks over the mountain. The only problem, the place I usually go to is the gym. I turn on my current anime and complete a 5k before leaving. But all the gyms are closed due to the quarantine, so I had to go out of the usual habit this time.
So, I set out to the Manastash Ridge today, which is Ellensburg’s number one hiking destination. The hike is a steady uphill climb that is about 4 miles round trip. The hike takes me about one hour up, so two hours total (I walk at a steady pace broken with about three five minute stops along the way).
After sweating for two hours, I finally got home and well, I am writing this blog right now, aren’t I? I already checked off three of my chores I had to do yesterday and I have only been home for a little under thirty minutes. I am pretty sure that with this renewed motivation, I would be set to do a few small daily workouts to keep it going but will have to hike within the week. Keeping those natural “happy juices” going is vital to staying productive in this time which is key
Please, in this time of isolation, take care of yourself. Yes, it is an inconvenience that we have to work from home or simply not work at all. But, making use of the time we have by taking care of those projects you have shoved aside for so long. Create that cosplay that you always wanted, learn how to dance, try a new recipe, look into a blog, or read that book on your to-read list. The possibilities are endless and you the time to do it now. Just remember at the end of the day that you do need to take care of yourself though. Eat healthy since you have time to cook homemade meals, mix up a face mask, apply a hair mask, and get that much-needed exercise.
Stay healthy and make sure to get outside! Adventure won’t wait around forever!
Investigative Geek 